Carney Promised Speed. Ottawa Is Getting More Machinery.

Carney’s speed brand now has a basic delivery test: show Canadians whether the new machinery is producing results or just moving files into different boxes.

Prime Minister Mark Carney wants Canadians to believe Ottawa has entered its high-speed era. A September 11 National Post column by John Ivison, republished by Loonie Politics, described a government pushing an aggressive pace while senior officials privately complain the federal bureaucracy is struggling to keep up. During President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit, the piece reported that a Canada-Ukraine drone partnership timeline was pressed from 90 days toward nine days after Carney asked, “Can we have it in nine days?”

Speed is not the problem. Conservatives should want a federal government that can buy military equipment faster, approve projects faster and get homes built faster. The problem is when “speed” becomes an excuse to build new Ottawa machinery before Canadians can see whether the old machinery was fixed, bypassed or merely rebadged.

The official record confirms that these are not small files. The Defence Investment Agency says it operates as a special operating agency inside Public Services and Procurement Canada, led operationally by CEO Doug Guzman, and that all defence, security and Coast Guard procurements may receive its input. Build Canada Homes was launched as a new federal agency in September 2025, later backed by the Build Canada Homes Act, and is meant to build and finance affordable housing at scale. The Major Projects Office says it was established in August 2025 as a special operating agency supported by the Privy Council Office, with a mandate to move nation-building projects forward faster.

That is a lot of new structure for a government selling simplicity. Ivison’s column reported that Carney and Clerk Michael Sabia are trying to route key files through entities such as the DIA, Build Canada Homes and the Major Projects Office. It also quoted Sabia’s earlier warning that “The standing operating procedures don’t work anymore.” Fair enough. But if the procedures do not work, Canadians need evidence of replacement discipline, not another round of glossy names.

A new agency still needs people, authorities, procurement rules, conflict screens, reporting lines, IT systems, cabinet sign-offs and co-operation from the departments it is supposed to outperform. If the same delays are simply being moved from one inbox to another, taxpayers will pay twice: once for the legacy system and again for the workaround.

The accountability demand is straightforward. Publish a public implementation ledger for each speed body: legal authority, mandate, staff count, operating budget, files transferred from departments, decision rights, procurement exemptions, conflict-of-interest screens, service standards, timelines and results delivered to date. For defence, include contract timelines and capability delivery. For housing, include starts, completions, unit costs and affordability terms. For major projects, include review clocks, conditions, consultation records and final decisions.

Carney promised speed. Ottawa is building machinery. Canadians deserve the receipts before the government declares the machine a success.