A trio of Team Carney frontbenchers — Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty — are set to join Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and his Nunavut counterpart, John Main, in Yellowknife for what the joint advisory is billing as a “significant announcement to advance nation-building infrastructure in Canada” — namely, the designation of “two key Arctic road infrastructure projects as (being) in the national interest,” according to Canadian Press. (8 a.m. MDT)

Citing federal and territorial sources, the wire service reports that the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the Grays Bay Road and Port, which were initially referred to the then-newly created Major Projects Office earlier this year, are set to be the first two proposals to qualify for the accelerated approval process laid out in the Building Canada Act, which “allows the sidestepping of some environmental laws,” it notes.

“The (Mackenzie Valley Highway) would see a 230-kilometre all-season road built through the N.W.T. and Nunavut, unlocking mining opportunities for critical minerals in the North,” while the Grays Bay Road “would see an all-season road from Yellowknife to Inuvik, cutting down travel times and passing through communities currently accessible only by air, winter roads or barges.”

Senior government officials are slated to host an “embargoed background media technical briefing” on the law this morning. (8:30 a.m.)

For his part, MacKinnon is also booked in for a midday appearance at the Yellowknife Airport to share the details of new “safety investments.” (12:30 p.m. MDT)

Back in southwestern Ontario, Justice Minister Sean Fraser will wrap up his three-day mini-tour to promote his government’s successful bid to tighten bail and sentencing rules in London, Ont., where, alongside London Mayor Josh Morgan, London Hydro CEO Ysni Semsedini and local Liberal MPs Peter Fragiskatos and Arielle Kayabaga, he’ll outline new measures to “combat copper theft” by expanding the aggravating factors to be considered at sentencing. (9:30 a.m.)

Also on the ministerial circuit:

• Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski drops by the Agri-Food Discovery Place at the University of Alberta to “highlight the launch of the National Food Security Strategy,” as well as her government’s ongoing push to “build a more affordable and resilient food system.” (9 a.m. MDT)
• Women and Gender Equality Minister Rechie Veldez unveils new federal support for “Black entrepreneurs and businesses” during a visit to the Black-Manitobans Chamber of Commerce in Winnipeg. (11 a.m. CT)
• Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson delivers fresh federal support under the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund to St. John’s-based Food First NL. (1 p.m. NDT)

Rounding out the roster, after celebrating Quebec’s Fête nationale in Outaouais last night, Prime Minister Mark Carney will be back at BC Place to cheer on Team Canada as they take on Switzerland.

IN THE CHAMBER

Both the House of Commons and the Senate have shut down for the summer, with regular parliamentary proceedings set to resume in September.

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