François Poirier, the pipeline operator’s chief executive, said the government’s strategy to speed up project approvals still leaves Canada at a competitive disadvantage as the U.S.-Israel war in Iran boosts the global demand for energy. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: Prime Minister Mark Carney launched the Major Projects Office last summer in a bid to secure regulatory approvals for projects in the national interest within two years. That’s not fast enough, said Poirier, who called for a six-month turnaround for energy projects. In Mexico, he said it took just seven months for TC Energy to get permits for its Southeast Gateway natural gas pipeline. The company operates the Coastal Gaslink pipeline that transports natural gas to LNG Canada’s export terminal in Kitimat B.C. The Major Projects Office is looking at a proposal to double the facility’s capacity. Meanwhile Ottawa is likely to miss a key deadline in its pact with Alberta to build a new oil pipeline over a disagreement about the carbon-price policy they were due to settle on by April 1, Reuters reported.