TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney gathered his full cabinet and secretaries of state in Toronto this week for the fall Cabinet Planning Forum, mapping out the government’s priorities for the next six months. The timing was deliberate: with the U.S. redrawing trade relationships and tariffs disrupting industries, Ottawa is leaning hard into a “control what we can” strategy to shore up Canada’s economy at home.
What was on the table
The forum emphasized nation-building projects, housing delivery, defence capacity, and tariff resilience. Key pillars include:
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Major Projects Office — launched to fast-track approvals for critical infrastructure, from transportation to energy.
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Build Canada Homes — a federal entity that will directly deliver affordable housing, aiming to double construction pace over the next decade.
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Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy — forthcoming this fall, to expand production capacity and integrate Canada deeper into allied procurement chains.
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Tariff-resilience supports — new tools to help workers and firms adapt to U.S. disruptions by retooling and diversifying markets.
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CUSMA review prep — early work began on Canada’s posture for the upcoming renegotiation of the North American trade deal.
Cabinet also discussed preparations for the 2025 Budget, which Carney has said must balance large-scale public investment in housing, defence, and infrastructure with modernization of government operations for efficiency.
Why Toronto?
Meeting in Toronto placed the government’s senior decision-makers in Canada’s economic epicentre — where finance, tech, advanced manufacturing, and housing pressures collide. For GTA industries, the forum signaled that Ottawa wants to link federal tools directly to local bottlenecks in permitting, supply chains, and workforce training.
What it means for the GTA
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Builders & trades: Build Canada Homes could accelerate federal-provincial partnerships to unlock GTA housing projects stuck in planning.
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Manufacturers & exporters: The Major Projects Office and tariff resilience measures may redirect procurement contracts toward Ontario firms, especially in steel, auto parts, and construction materials.
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Tech & defence corridor: Upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy could bring new NATO-aligned contracts to GTA-based aerospace, AI, and cybersecurity firms.
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Workers: Reskilling and EI flexibility, already flagged by the government, are expected to roll out in fall, creating new pathways for GTA residents affected by trade shifts.
The bigger picture
Carney’s government is betting that massive public investment + streamlined approvals + Buy-Canadian procurement can both buffer the economy from U.S. shocks and attract private capital to scale. The forum’s agenda shows Ottawa preparing to build more, faster, while ensuring Canadians see tangible relief on affordability and housing.
📘 Canada Watch is GTA Weekly’s national affairs editorial series, offering perspective on how federal decisions ripple through the GTA. Follow us @GTAWeeklyNews for more.
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