Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to share the Pembina Institute's perspective on Canada's electrification, energy self-sufficiency and domestic energy future.
In 2026, with increasingly turbulent global energy markets and politics, becoming an energy superpower means delivering the cleanest and most cost-effective power to attract investment and drive economic growth and competitiveness. There is an increasingly strong business case for investing in Canada's energy systems through demand-side management and efficiency, grid modernization and expansion, and the continued development of distributed and utility-scale clean electricity.
Canada has a long history of clean electricity generation and a competitive starting point compared to other countries. We can use this as a foundation for growth. Electricity is central to the transformation of our national economy and a sustainable environment. It will help boost affordability, advance economic resilience and address climate change. Today, Canada's energy system consists of energy supply, energy demand and the flow of electrons from production to end use.
Going forward, Canada's ambition as an energy superpower means we must optimize the use of existing system infrastructure but also take advantage of energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, local energy storage and demand-response technologies, all of which help balance load growth requirements and cost-effective system expansion.
It is the federal government that's best suited to creating the market conditions that will encourage investment in an integrated marketplace for energy-efficient buildings, electric vehicles and industrial processes.
The Pembina Institute would like to encourage the Government of Canada to ensure that its electricity strategy recognizes the full scope of Canada's energy system. This starts with a focus on energy efficiency and the effective use of energy resources. Investments in housing, through programs such as Build Canada Homes, the build communities strong fund and the housing design catalogue, can be leveraged to advance ambitious building codes and high levels of energy efficiency that will help cut energy waste and emissions and ensure stable utility costs while providing safer, healthy and more resilient living conditions.
As stated in one of the Canada electricity advisory council's recommendations:
Link federal investments in housing to the highest energy-saving standards...Both are essential for ensuring that solutions to the housing crisis do not spill over, directly or through power rates, into unaffordable energy bills for new and existing households.
The government can also help build markets through the electrification of core sectors. An electrified Canadian economy can leverage buildings, transportation and industrial processes as a nation-building opportunity for economic growth, affordability and climate action. Doing so will help maintain energy costs while doubling the country's electricity grids to meet rising demand. Together, these sectors can support a made-in-Canada industrial strategy and create supply chain and export opportunities for the building and auto sectors as well as grid technologies and critical minerals.
There is a need to provide stability and flexibility with integrated resources. Programs such as the smart renewables and electrification pathways program, the utility support stream and the green industrial facilities and manufacturing program have already helped identify opportunities to integrate emerging technologies, such as vehicle to grid services in both building and industrial spaces.
Continuing to support these programs can drive similar technology adoptions that can help improve system resilience and provide stability and a flexible bulwark against weather or cyber-related disruptions, allowing utilities to tap into resilient resources when critically needed.
We need to continue to build and support our workforce. Achieving a clean energy system by 2050 could generate up to 10 million job years of construction employment. At the same time, Canada is facing persistent labour shortages. By putting workers at the centre of these plans, we can ensure that the jobs created are high quality, accessible and capable of supporting workers and communities through a period of significant economic change.
Lastly, but importantly, we need to reinforce indigenous leadership. Canada has made great progress in delivering energy stability in remote Canadian communities. Long-term predictable support can ensure that these communities continue to pursue their clean energy futures. We hope to see the federal government continue to advance and accelerate indigenous leadership in clean electricity projects, partnerships and equity opportunities.
With that, thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to your questions.