**Former Trans Mountain CEO Dawn Farrell will head up the new Major Projects Office to streamline the building of infrastructure projects of national interest. / TRILATERAL COMMISSION PHOTO**

Dawn Farrell, who helped guide construction of the federal government-owned pipeline from Alberta to a B.C. port, will head up the new Major Projects Office to streamline the building of infrastructure projects of national interest, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday.

Farrell, a longtime energy industry executive, will be CEO of the new office, which will be headquartered in Calgary with offices in other Canadian cities.

The federal government is expected in the next two weeks to begin announcing projects it deems of national interest. Shovel-ready projects are expected to get the early approvals to enable construction to begin as quickly as possible in conjunction with Carney’s pro-growth agenda.

“Canada has always been a nation of builders,” Carney said in a statement. "I am thrilled that Dawn Farrell, one of Canada's most experienced executives, is stepping up to help lead this vital priority."

Farrell served as an executive vice-president for the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority and CEO of TransAlta, one of Canada's largest wind power producers, before taking up her role in 2022 as CEO of Trans Mountain, the pipeline Ottawa expanded in B.C. after private owners backed out of the project.

The MPO will help identify projects in Canada’s national interest and help fast-track their development. The MPO will accelerate projects by creating a single set of conditions, thereby reducing the approval timeline for projects of national interest to a maximum of two years.

Attracting capital

To that end, the MPO will work with provinces and territories to achieve a “one project, one review” approach for environmental assessments, Carney’s office said in the statement. It will also seek to attract domestic and global capital to major projects and help structure and co-ordinate financing from the private sector, provincial and territorial partners, and government initiatives including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Canada Growth Fund, and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program.

“The government and the prime minister were looking for someone with experience in carrying out large, complex projects involving several provinces, and who was able to navigate a regulatory environment," a source with knowledge of Farrell's appointment told Radio-Canada Friday.

The Indigenous Advisory Council, to be struck in September, with representation from First Nations, Inuit and Métis, will provide advice to the office.