Quebec LNG proposal not of ‘national interest’ at this point, says federal minister

MONTREAL — Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson says it’s too early to say whether a liquefied natural gas facility pitched for Quebec meets the bar of being in the national interest.

“My sense is this is not a project that is at a scale where we need to be looking at it,” the minister said. “It’s certainly not a project of national interest at this point.”

The minister made the comment in Montreal on Friday during an announcement Canada would be investing $22 million to boost the country’s battery production capacity.

Marinvest Energy Canada had been lobbying Hodgson’s department in recent months regarding a possible natural gas pipeline and export facility near Baie-Comeau, Que, just as the Liberal government was preparing to table legislation to fast-track major projects.

The federal government passed that law this June, making way for accelerated approvals on major infrastructure and energy projects deemed to be in the national interest.

In May, senior federal officials at the Natural Resources Department had touted the plan for the facility, writing in a briefing note it had the potential to export “substantial volumes” of LNG to Europe, documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal.

A public servant for the department also met with representatives from Marinvest, a subsidiary of a Norwegian energy company, to talk about the plan.

“If and when Marinvest wants to re-engage, they are welcome to do it. They will be evaluated like any other project,” Hodgson said, adding he never personally met with any of those representatives.

The Quebec government would also have to be on board, Hodgson said.

The office for Quebec Minister Christine Fréchette had declined to comment on the company’s plan, telling The Canadian Press earlier this week that no formal proposal for a facility has been submitted yet.

A spokesperson for her office did say however that the province has “a duty to objectively and rigorously examine projects of national interest,” especially considering how the Trump administration has disrupted Quebec’s economy.

Hodgson said any LNG project in Quebec would also need to be supported by any affected First Nation communities.

In 2021, the Quebec government rejected a similar fossil fuel project in the province’s Saguenay region, one which had attracted widespread opposition, including from many Indigenous communities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.

With files from Maura Forrest

Miriam Lafontaine, The Canadian Press