Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week a second round of projects he's recommending get fast-tracked by his government's Major Projects Office (MPO) as part of his promise to reduce Canada’s economic reliance on the United States.

Thursday’s announcement saw multibillion-dollar energy and natural resources proposals brought to the top of the pile, but there are still questions about what a referral to the MPO actually means.

Part of the confusion lies in the government’s choice of language. So far, Carney has referred projects to the MPO that he’s deemed of “national importance” or “national significance."

None of the projects — at least not yet — have been slapped with the “national interest” label, a new (and controversial) designation that would essentially allow the federal

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