Natural Resources Committee on April 30th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Colleagues, I call this meeting to order.

Let me start by welcoming some new members of the committee, Mr. Gurbux Saini from Fleetwood—Port Kells and Jennifer McKelvie from Ajax.

It's always good to see you, Mr. Rowe.

Mr. Ruff, it's great to see you at this committee.

I believe we have Sima Acan on the screen. Welcome, Sima.

Let me acknowledge, as we always do, that we are meeting on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe nation.

Welcome to meeting number 35 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources. Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format.

I would remind participants, particularly our online folks today, to please wait until I recognize you before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic. Please mute yourself when you are not speaking. For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen, you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use the earpiece and select the desired channel. All comments, as you know, should be addressed through the chair.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on Thursday, September 18, 2025, the committee shall resume its study of Canadian energy exports.

I would like to welcome our witnesses. From Clean Energy Canada, we have Evan Pivnick, associate director of public affairs; and from Nergica, Frédéric Côté, general manager.

All virtual witnesses have conducted a mandatory witness onboarding test.

You each have five minutes for your opening remarks, after which we will open the floor for comments and questions.

Mr. Pivnick, we'll start with you. You have the floor for five minutes.

[Evan Pivnick, Associate Director of Public Affairs, Clean Energy Canada]

Thank you so much.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.

Clean Energy Canada is a national think tank at Simon Fraser University focused on advancing and seizing opportunities for Canada in the global energy transition. This committee's study comes at a vital moment. Canada is reorienting its economy and approach to global trade for a world where the U.S. is no longer a reliable trading partner and the rules-based system Canada has relied on is under threat. At the same time, escalating global conflicts are accelerating an equally fundamental shift—the electrification of the global economy.

Clean technologies are already dominating global investment. In 2025, of the $3.3 trillion of global capital spent on energy, $2.2 trillion went to clean energy technologies and electricity infrastructure. The electricity sector is now the largest energy employer globally. EVs are poised to make up 30% of new car sales worldwide this year. Last year, renewables overtook coal power as the largest source of electricity generation globally.

In the face of increasingly volatile fossil fuel prices, insecure supply chains and falling prices for clean energy technologies, all the countries Canada has sought to strengthen our trading partnerships with have doubled down on electrification as the safer long-term bet. The Korean government has framed the Iran war as a “significant turning point” and has advanced new commitments to nearly triple the share of renewable energy capacity on its grid by 2030. China's latest five-year plan aims to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and further secure its dominance in clean energy and technology supply chains. Just last week, the EU released a new strategy that expands efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports, doubles down on homegrown clean energy, accelerates electrification and invests in clean technology industries.

As Canada works to double non-U.S. exports and attract $1 trillion of new investment, these are the global energy and investment trends we must factor in. This starts with expanding how we think about energy exports. Whereas oil and gas are the hallmarks of the conventional energy system, electrons, clean technologies and critical minerals underpin an electrified one. Canada has all the ingredients to compete globally and position itself as a clean energy superpower, including a stable investment environment, affordable clean power, abundant natural resources, innovation and one of the most skilled workforces in the world.

To succeed, Canada must focus on two priorities. First, we must rapidly grow and modernize our own clean electricity system. Second, we must prioritize and invest in the economic sectors and supply chains that underpin global electrification. As the spring economic update made clear, “Clean, affordable, and dependable electricity is central to Canada’s long-term economic strength.” Securing this advantage will require Canada’s forthcoming clean electricity strategy to coordinate our energy trade and economic policies, increase investment into local grids and smart technologies, and provide a pathway to building new interties.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Excuse me, Mr. Chair.

I hate to interrupt the witness, but for the well-being of my friend the interpreter, can we slow down a bit so she can breathe? I'd like her to make it to the end of the meeting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you, Monsieur Simard.

Mr. Pivnick, for the sake of our interpreters, could you slow down a bit?

You still have two minutes and 19 seconds.

[Evan Pivnick]

Thank you.

Next, supporting clean economic sectors and supply chains is inherently a diversification strategy. Analysis shows that our existing clean energy exports are already growing faster with the rest of the world than with the United States. These sectors range from critical minerals and EV manufacturing to grid technologies. Global demand for key critical minerals, such as lithium, graphite, nickel and cobalt, is poised to grow two to six times by 2040, overwhelmingly driven by clean energy technologies. Canada ranks among the top 10 for total global reserves of each and should position itself as a preferred supplier to key allies.

Combining Canada’s clean grid with high-quality iron ore reserves could expand green steel production to align with the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism and grow capacity for in-demand specialized products like electrical steel. Canada’s clean electricity supply chain—from clean generation and grid technology manufacturing to the innovation and management services that integrate them—is another opportunity we need to scale. To achieve this, Canada needs to map and then leverage our competitive advantages in these supply chains.

While the pace of electrification may vary country to country, the overall direction of travel is the same. Growing our clean energy exports is the key to long-term economic competitiveness, positioning Canada as the type of energy superpower that will last.

Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you, Mr. Pivnick.

We're going to move on to Mr. Côté.

You have the floor for five minutes.

[Frédéric Côté, General Manager, Nergica]

Mr. Chair, honourable members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to speak today as part of your study on Canadian energy exports.

My name is Frédéric Côté, and I am the general manager of Nergica, a college centre for technology transfer based in Gaspé, Quebec. We focus on applied research in the field of renewable energy, mainly wind and solar energy, and their integration into electricity grids. We're also working on storage and hydrogen.

We work with equipment manufacturers, independent electricity producers, utilities, indigenous and non-indigenous communities, as well as innovators in Quebec and in Canada. We work closely with Natural Resources Canada on research that strengthens grid reliability and accelerates the deployment of clean technologies. We also represent Canada on research groups at the International Energy Agency, including on distributed energy production and cold climate energy production.

I'm also the co-founder of the Northeast Grid Planning Forum, a civil society initiative to promote better inter-regional planning of electricity grids in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.

In order to meet demand, Canadian electricity generation will need to roughly double by 2050. The bulk of this new generation will be predominantly wind, as well as nuclear, hydro and solar. This represents a huge growth opportunity for our businesses and communities. It is therefore essential that we have a real industrial electrification policy to guide and increase our capacity to develop, deploy and export know-how and technologies in electricity generation, as well as in the storage, transportation and operation and maintenance of these infrastructures.

Canada has world-class energy resources, but our ability to move electricity across interprovincial and international borders is limited by fragmented planning and insufficient transmission capacity. Too often, provinces have planned in silos, focusing on one-off export opportunities rather than common solutions that reduce system costs and improve reliability. Electricity needs to be balanced in real time. As wind and solar grow, larger and more interconnected grids can mitigate regional variability, integrate manageable resources and make sharing more reliable, including during extreme weather events.

In short, inter-regional transportation is not just an electricity issue. It's also a lever for Canadian clean electricity exports and industrial competitiveness.

A clear point of consensus among Canadian grid stakeholders is the need for inter-regional transmission planning. The Canada electricity advisory council, in its “Powering Canada” report, recommended that the federal government and provinces jointly establish a policy framework to identify and support inter-regional transmission projects, including governance, cost allocation and funding.

From our work in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., three practical steps would materially improve Canada's ability to expand clean electricity trade and support broader energy exports.

First, establish a transparent, inter-regional planning process that meaningfully includes provinces, first nations, utilities, industry and the public.

Second, create federal-provincial tools to advance priority projects, especially clear rules on cost allocation and access to financing for projects of national interest.

Third, invest in shared, open modelling and data so provinces can evaluate trade-offs consistently and negotiate from a common evidence base.

In closing, Canada's ability to generate and export clean electricity and associated technologies and to strengthen energy security at home will depend on a clear industrial policy and building the right transmission backbone, guided by transparent inter-regional planning.

Nergica and its partners are ready to support the federal and provincial governments thanks to applied research and practical tools.

Thank you. I look forward to your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you, Mr. Côté.

Thanks to both of you.

We're going to our first round of questions. We'll start with Monsieur Martel for six minutes.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for joining us.

Mr. Pivnick, you've said before that approval processes are too long and costly.

Wouldn't prioritizing certain projects based on their contribution to what you call clean growth risk adding an additional layer of subjectivity and regulatory complexity?

[Evan Pivnick]

Thank you for the question.

I think that right now, with the government's “projects of national interest” approach, we see the choosing of projects that offer opportunities to position Canada for a variety of different reasons. One—and there's the criteria that I've applied there—is looking at climate competitiveness. Given a world that is electrifying, that is an essential piece, when we're looking at finite resources, people's finite time and finite dollars, to make sure those projects are building opportunities for where the global economy is going and where exports are going.

I think there's the opportunity to learn lessons from this, where we've selected a smaller number but that can then be applied to a wider suite. It doesn't have to be either-or. We can choose priorities and then take the lessons learned as we move projects through those processes and apply those lessons more generally.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Pivnick, in concrete terms, who decides what constitutes a priority clean growth project? What are the measurable criteria being used?

[Evan Pivnick]

Thanks for the question.

At this point, we have a government process that is selecting projects. They are engaging with provinces to bring them forward, so there's a collaborative effort there. Given that we're talking about government investment on both sides and finite resources in governments at both the provincial and national levels, that is the process we've set out to date.

In terms of the criteria we're looking at, the ability to supply exports, create jobs and add value in local communities, all of that is going to be absolutely essential alongside clean. We need to think about the ability to access demand where the countries we're looking to trade with are going. That's where the electrification trends playing out in the rest of the world have a critical role to play when we're thinking of this from an export perspective, so that we're not simply building projects that focus on the short-term opportunities but on where countries are aiming to be themselves in the next five and 10 years.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Once again, your work shows that China controls a dominant share of the refining of several critical minerals.

Given this dependence, is accelerating the energy transition realistic?

[Evan Pivnick]

Absolutely. When it comes to China's role, they have been very clear. They are looking to be and are truly the only global energy superpower at this moment. They control 90% of many of the key supply chains, from critical minerals to clean technologies. There's a reason why Canada is being looked at to be a potential provider for exactly those same things—critical minerals and clean technologies—for other allies. We're seeing right now that dependence on one supply chain can offer quite a significant security risk for countries right around the world.

Canada has all of the different elements. As I said in my opening remarks, we have top 10 reserves in some of the key critical minerals. We have expertise across the clean technology landscape in industries such as steel and automotive and those can be leveraged. When we're thinking about our investments, we need to be thinking about how we position for those demands as well, not just the ones that exist today.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

In practical terms, does replacing our use of Canadian oil with a dependence on critical minerals controlled and processed by a foreign state actually improve our energy security?

[Evan Pivnick]

Right now, Canada is in discussions with countries right around the world. When we look at the EU and at trading partners, we're integrated into the economy right now. That exposure to different countries and the ability for.... Especially in a system where the rules-based order is breaking down, that risk exists today. That is a challenge we already saw. In putting tariffs in place, countertariffs also get put in place.

When we're talking about our energy system, we absolutely need to prioritize domestic electricity security. The build-out of our domestic electricity system is paramount. It's why, when we think about being a clean energy superpower, it's not just what we can export to the world. It's what we can build here, and it's making sure that from a domestic perspective, our electricity system has secure supply chains for its own build-out, which, as Frédéric Côté spoke to, is needing to double over the next 25 years.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

I didn't check my time, Mr. Chair. How much time do I have left, approximately?

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

You have 40 seconds.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Okay.

I have one more question for you, Mr. Pivnick. At what point do you think we'll be able to produce 100% Canadian batteries on an industrial scale?

[Evan Pivnick]

I couldn't speak to the specific fully integrated supply chain. That's going to come down to the investments that companies and governments make.

We already have expertise and roles to play. In terms of analysis, it has shown, from a battery supply chain perspective, all the way from the critical minerals to the materials that go into batteries to the processing and manufacturing of them, that there are opportunities for it. We should expect to remain in an integrated global supply chain. We need to think about partnerships with other countries. Whether we're talking about the current energy system and our current energy exports or one that's looking at an electrified world, we're going to be reliant.

[The Chair, Liberal, Terry Duguid]

Thank you both.

Mr. Guay, you have six minutes.

[Claude Guay, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I give a big thank you to the witnesses for participating today. I'm happy to talk to them.

Mr. Pivnick, I will direct my first question to you.

In budget 2025, we talk about the clean electricity investment tax credit. We extended the tax credit to government-owned entities and indigenous organizations.

Do you see the implementation of the clean electricity investment tax credit as essential to building clean energy projects here in the country?

[Evan Pivnick]

Absolutely. The clean electricity ITC is a vital part of it. I think the latest addition of the potential content requirements being consulted on right now is an example of where in the electricity strategy we need to ensure that our trade, economic and electricity policies are coordinated.

If we're putting requirements for Canadian-made parts that aren't manufactured, we do risk adding costs and timelines to clean electricity projects. While the clean electricity ITC is a vital part of lowering costs and lowering electricity bills for Canadians, we do need to be very deliberate about how we apply those content requirements. Using them instead as a bonus process, where the ability to supply Canadian supply chains adds to the bid and has additional benefits as opposed to a strict restriction, will ensure the best of both worlds.

[Claude Guay, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Mr. Pivnick, you've obviously heard about a national electricity strategy that is up and coming. The Prime Minister has mentioned it.

Are you encouraged that the government is moving forward with that? Could you elaborate on what you would expect to see in there?

[Evan Pivnick]

Absolutely. I think a national electricity strategy is vital. When we're thinking about energy exports, as I've mentioned, the domestic electricity system is absolutely vital from a competitiveness perspective. I think there are three specific pieces that an electricity strategy really needs to speak to.

One is around interties. Canada needs to clarify the federal process around the ability to fund, the ability to help share benefits and the ability to support inter-regional planning. That's going to be a vital piece of it.

The second is being able to make investments to support local grids—smart technologies and distributed energy resources, and their integration into grids. We need to modernize even as we build new generation.

The third piece, as I mentioned, is providing some coordination between our trade, energy and economic policies. The ability to provide a clear signal is going to enable greater investment into the electricity sector in Canada.