I'd like to thank the committee for inviting me to participate in your study today.
The Canada West Foundation is an independent, non-partisan public policy think tank that specifically focuses on matters that matter most to the west. We advance pragmatic policies based on research and convening. As well, we educate Canadians on these issues.
Your committee is tasked with the study of Canada's electricity system. This is no small undertaking, precisely because there is no Canadian electricity system. Our country has 10 provincial systems, and I'll focus on the west.
My first point is that electricity generation and intraprovincial transmission fall clearly within provincial jurisdiction, so it is quite interesting to participate in a study by a House of Commons committee on this topic.
Western provinces have raised serious concerns that unilateral federal action, through policies such as the Impact Assessment Act and the clean electricity regulations, runs afoul of the Constitution and, in the Impact Assessment Act decision, you'll recall that the Supreme Court pointedly reminded the federal government of provincial responsibility for electricity.
Electricity generation that is reliable, affordable and clean is the objective of every provincial government and system operator. However, because an issue is important across the nation, that does not mean that it is an issue of national concern to be unilaterally addressed by the federal government. Provinces are taking actions to achieve these goals in ways that are consistent with the diverse nature of their resource endowments, geography and system choices, and they are co-operating with their neighbours where it makes sense. In July 2023, the Canada West Foundation released a report that described the diverse electricity landscape across the west. It is available on our website: cwf.ca.
As a committee, I'm sure you will ask, what is the appropriate role for the federal government? Clearly, it is not to create uncertainty that limits investments in both emitting and non-emitting generation through clean electricity regulations that are unnecessary, unattainable, unaffordable and unconstitutional, as Alberta and Saskatchewan have demonstrated, or to create uncertainty through delayed implementation of promised investment tax credits and other uncertainties concerning carbon contracts for differences.
Electricity is a system. Actions on one part have implications for others, and those implications differ in different provinces. Policies that may benefit Canada on average can have very negative consequences in some provinces, as shown by research by the Canada West Foundation and—