Project Agreements

A Project Agreement is an agreement between federal Deputy Ministers that outlines the process by which federal departments or agencies will carry out their particular roles or responsibilities during the federal regulatory review of a proposed major resource project. more »

Current Project Agreements

What is a Project Agreement?

A Project Agreement is an agreement between federal Deputy Ministers that outlines the process by which federal departments or agencies will carry out their particular roles or responsibilities during the federal regulatory review of a proposed major resource project. The agreement includes a timeline and schedule for the completion of the regulatory review with regular milestones to allow tracking of progress.

In general, for projects that fall under the Major Projects Management Office Initiative, following the receipt of an acceptable Project Description (see Guide to Preparing a Description of a Designated Project under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012), all relevant departments and agencies will work collaboratively, under the leadership of the Major Projects Management Office, to develop a Project Agreement.

Project Agreements are a key coordination tool.

Project Agreements serve as a key coordination tool to ensure that the discharge of federal statutory duties is completed in a more coordinated, efficient and effective manner. All Project Agreements contain coordinated work plans that outline the particular roles and responsibilities of federal departments and agencies throughout the entire lifecycle of a particular regulatory review process. Project Agreements and the associated Companion Document include the following coordinated work plans:

• an Environmental Assessment work plan;
• an Aboriginal Consultation and Engagement work plan; and
• a Permitting, Authorizations and Approvals work plan.

Project Agreements are an important accountability mechanism.

Project Agreements articulate the obligations and best effort commitments of departments and agencies during the federal regulatory review of a major resource project. Project Agreements are signed by the Deputy Ministers of these organizations to ensure that obligations and commitments are backed by senior-level accountability.

Each Agreement will include a process timeline with clear milestones and service standards to ensure that the review process is completed in a timely and predictable manner. Once signed, all Project Agreements will be posted publicly on the Internet to ensure transparency. The Major Projects Management Office will track and monitor the progress against agreed-upon timelines and milestones though its publicly-accessible monitoring and tracking system – the Major Projects Management Office Tracker – and through regular reporting to Deputy Ministers and Ministers.