Internal government documents show federal bureaucrats promoted a Norwegian company’s proposal to build a major natural gas export facility in Quebec, even though the company secured meetings only with lower-ranking officials.
A May briefing note from Natural Resources Canada characterized the Marinvest Energy Canada project as positioning the country to ship large quantities of natural gas to European markets, according to documents The Canadian Press obtained.
However, when the company sought a meeting with the department’s deputy minister to discuss the Baie-Comeau facility, they met instead with a junior public servant. Because the senior official did not attend, the company said it did not need to register the meeting under federal lobbying rules.
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Marinvest appeared in Quebec’s business registry only in June, listing one Canadian shareholder and no employees in the province. The company has not submitted any formal proposal to regulators.
Yet the company has assembled a roster of lobbyists who have reached staff in the offices of some of Canada’s most powerful political figures, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and Canada’s ambassador to Norway.
The May briefing note urged officials to learn more about the project’s timeline and to solicit the company’s input on federal regulatory procedures, as the Liberal government prepared to introduce fast-track legislation for major infrastructure projects.
Greenpeace Canada’s Louis Couillard questioned the project’s credibility. “We’re seeing there’s a political appetite,” he said. “But in terms of the business case, there’s no known investors yet for that project. It’s a small Norwegian company.” He added that the situation appears “completely unserious,” yet noted “there’s a small army of lobbyists” meeting with top politicians across the country.
The proposal calls for building infrastructure to liquefy and ship natural gas, requiring a pipeline spanning hundreds of kilometers to connect with existing Western Canadian supply lines.
Quebec previously killed a comparable LNG proposal in the Saguenay region in 2021 after environmental reviewers determined the risks exceeded the benefits. But Premier François Legault has recently indicated the province may accept fossil fuel development more readily, given ongoing US-Canada trade disputes.
Marinvest declined to speculate on whether its project might qualify for national interest designation, though the company maintains its plans support federal objectives, including economic growth and Canadian energy independence.
The company said engaging with First Nations communities remains its top priority.
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