TORONTO — Clean Energy Canada’s executive director Rachel Doran made the following statement in response to the Government of Canada’s announcement regarding the first projects to be reviewed by the new Major Projects Office:
“The Prime Minister’s announcement of the first projects that will be fast tracked through Bill C-5 raises the question: what kind of nation does Canada intend to build?
“Looking at the rest of the world, the answer should be clear. Economies and households are rapidly electrifying. The world now invests twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels: Global energy investment is set to rise to US$3.3 trillion in 2025, with US$2.2 trillion going to clean energy technologies and infrastructure. But Canada currently ranks 33rd globally on its ability to navigate the evolving energy landscape—in the bottom third of all advanced economies.
“Clean Energy Canada welcomes the government’s ambition to move with urgency—to expedite timelines for low-carbon mining and clean economic projects that will provide not only the raw materials, but the innovation and value-add to move us into the future. We need bold moves to help us do this with the pace and urgency required, but we must remain cautious about relying too heavily on industries anchored in the past.
“The public support to drive forward is there. Two-thirds of Canadians favour developing clean energy over fossil fuels, while 87% believe clean energy will be “very” or “pretty” important to our economy over the next decade. Canada has a future as a clean energy superpower, with a clean economy manufacturing products, innovative technologies, and developing the intellectual property that we can export to a global economy that is overwhelmingly focused on decarbonization.
“Among Canada’s 10 largest non-U.S. trade partners, all of them have net-zero commitments and carbon pricing systems, and roughly half apply carbon border adjustments on imports and have domestic EV requirements reshaping their car markets.
“Projects set for fast-tracking include copper and gold mining in Saskatchewan and B.C., small modular nuclear reactors in Ontario, port upgrades in Quebec, and LNG Canada in B.C., which is looking to double its production of liquified natural gas for export.
“Increasing copper production in Canada has a clear value proposition for our domestic battery and EV supply chain, given that an electric vehicle uses three times the amount of copper as a combustion engine equivalent. Copper is also a critical metal for a host of additional clean technologies that will electrify our economy and support the buildout of an abundant, affordable electricity system for Canadians. With both mining announcements signalled today set to be either net zero or low-carbon, Canada is anchoring clean resource development and innovation here at home.
“While nuclear power—SMRs in particular—is not a silver bullet for meeting Ontario’s rapidly growing demand for electricity, it can be part of the solution. Darlington SMR is an important opportunity to prove that this technology can deliver cost-effective clean electricity in Ontario. It will be essential, however, that its advancement does not displace the lower-cost renewables, energy storage and demand-side solutions that will keep energy bills low and represent economic opportunities in every corner of the province.
“The Contrecœur Terminal Container Project will likely be the first of many projects seeking to upgrade and expand Canada’s port infrastructure. As we undertake this necessary and valuable work, those guiding principles of long-term resilience, economic competitiveness and building a clean economy must guide how we build. This means electrification, infrastructure for clean shipping fuels, and designs to move the clean goods and technologies Canada will be importing and exporting.
“What seems less certain is the long-term value of expanding our LNG production. Key export markets like Japan are already showing waning demand, and Canadian LNG is entering a global market that is expected to see a 43% increase in supply by the end of the decade, putting downward pressure on prices.
“What’s more, if all six proposed LNG facilities in B.C. are built, they would use 43 TWh of electricity per year (equivalent to the electricity from more than eight Site C dams) and generate 40% of the emissions under B.C.’s target, with trade-offs for the province’s electricity system and rate payers.
“The economy we build today needs to build our wealth and prosperity into the future. As the federal government continues to unveil its nationbuilding strategy, it is critical that we build for the future and not the past.”
