WINNIPEG — Natural Resources Canada today released the Generation Energy council report, which envisions a roadmap for Canada’s energy future. Clean Energy Canada’s executive director Merran Smith, who co-chaired the council, had this to say:
“A global energy transition is underway, and this new vision paints a picture for how Canada can navigate this change to the benefit of all Canadians. For the first time ever, Canada has aligned its energy vision with its commitment to tackle climate change—it’s an important moment for Canada.
“This vision acknowledges where we’ve come from, while also accepting the inevitability and opportunity of where we need to go. How we produce and consume energy in Canada—and the energy solutions demanded by global markets—is changing fast.
“If we follow the pathways laid out in this report, Canada can succeed in ensuring that Canadians have access to affordable, reliable, clean energy, and that we can sell our solutions to the world.
“Now is the time to make sure we’re strategically positioned for the decades ahead, so that Canada can have the clean, competitive future Canadians have said they want.
“The next step for the federal government is to take this vision and use it to unify Canadians on a topic that for too long has divided us, and to rally all levels of government, businesses and Canadians to work together to make it happen.”
KEY FACTS
- The global cleantech market is projected to be worth $2.2 trillion by 2022.
- Canada’s cleantech industry contributed $59 billion to our GDP in 2016.
- There are 274,000 Canadians employed in the cleantech sector.
- Roughly 80% of Canadian cleantech companies export globally.
- Canada ranked fourth among G20 nations for cleantech startup potential.
- But Canada’s share of the global cleantech market fell 12% over the last decade.
- Natural Resources Canada’s Generation Energy initiative gathered opinions from more than 380,000 Canadians about Canada’s energy future.
