Mark Carney chooses former UN ambassador Marc-André Blanchard as his chief of staff

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Sunday afternoon he's selected former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations Marc-André Blanchard as his chief of staff. Blanchard will begin the job in July, replacing former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino.

"Marc-André has a long and distinguished career as one of Canada's most accomplished builders, legal experts, executives, public servants, and diplomats including serving as Canada's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations," Carney said in a social media post.

Blanchard served as Canada's ambassador to the UN from 2016 to 2020. He currently works as executive vice-president of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, which manages public pension plans and insurance programs in the province.

He'll replace former cabinet minister Marco Mendicino, who took on the role after Carney won the Liberal leadership race in March. Sources told CBC News at the time that the former Liberal MP would be in his new role only temporarily.

Opposition parties heavily scrutinized Carney's choice to hire Mendicino at the time, both for his time in cabinet and his stance on the Middle East.

Carney said Mendicino "has my continued appreciation for his service as my Chief of Staff into the early summer, including as we introduce crucial legislation to deliver on our mandate from Canadians and prepare to host global partners at the upcoming G7 Summit in Kananaskis."

The prime minister announced his new chief of staff the day before he'll speak with premiers about his ambition to fast-track projects that are in Canada's national interest. It will be Carney's first meeting with the first ministers since he won the federal election in April, and the main agenda item will be developing major projects.

Project approval was a significant part of last week's throne speech read by King Charles. The speech promised to "unleash a new era of growth" by creating a federal project review office and reducing regulatory reviews "from five years to two."

The Liberals are aiming to introduce legislation this month that would introduce "up-front regulatory approvals" to major projects in the national interest, according to a federal document CBC News obtained.

WATCH | Carney on U.S. relations, his government's ambitions:

Prime Minister Mark Carney sat down for a wide-ranging one-on-one interview with CBC’s Power & Politics host David Cochrane on Tuesday. Carney addressed Canada’s current relationship with the U.S. along with the challenges ahead for his new government, including housing affordability and separatist sentiment in Alberta.

Premiers from all provinces and territories are lining up with project ideas.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew wants an economic corridor that includes Manitoba's Port of Churchill, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford would like to see more development to access critical mineral deposits in the province's Ring of Fire.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have both called for more oil and gas pipelines to augment their provincial economies. In a letter sent to Carney in mid-May, Smith also demanded the federal government abandon the oil and gas emissions cap, overhaul the Impact Assessment Act and repeal Canada's industrial carbon tax.

In an exclusive interview with CBC's Power & Politics last week, Carney said he wants projects competing for federal approval, with the best ideas winning out.

"In effect, we're going to have a competition with projects. Some projects are good ideas, but they're not ready. Others are ready, but they're bad ideas," he said.

Carney had previously met with premiers in March and committed to removing internal trade barriers by July 1.