QUESTION PERIOD — Natural Resources
Regional Energy and Resource Tables
October 25, 2022
My question is also for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Last week, before our Banking Committee, Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada, addressed Canada’s pathway to meeting our greenhouse gas emissions-reduction targets. He stressed that building a clean electricity grid must be part of the equation, but this can only be done if we have a cooperative economic policy, including between the federal and provincial governments.
The extent of the task before us is huge. To get any major project off the ground, proponents need to get the approval or support from the Government of Canada, provinces and territories, municipalities and First Nations, along with all the necessary environmental assessments and permits — which is not an easy task nowadays. Even green projects are met with resistance.
I’m getting to my question. Budget 2022 announced $250 million over four years to support pre-development activities of clean electricity projects of national significance, such as interprovincial electricity transmission projects.
What specific projects are currently being considered by the Government of Canada to “greenify” our electricity grid? Are you working with provinces, Indigenous peoples, industry and other stakeholders to get these major projects off the ground so we can meet our government’s target to produce 100% of our electricity from zero-emitting sources by 2035?
Senator, thank you for your question. The government knows that in order to achieve its net-zero goal, it must continue to work with provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, industry and unions. That is why, earlier this year, Natural Resources Canada launched the Regional Energy and Resource Tables. This initiative seeks to align resources, timelines and regulatory approaches between the levels of government in order to seize the economic opportunities that are presented by a net‑zero transition. Minister Wilkinson announced this morning that Ontario would be the ninth region to join the Regional Tables.
In addition, the government has committed $964 million through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to replace fossil fuel-generated electricity with renewables and to fund grid modernization projects, as well as $500 million through the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program. These programs aim to decarbonize our electrical grid and to reduce our emissions while creating good-paying jobs for all Canadians.
The government is proud that nearly 83% of the electricity produced in Canada comes from no-emission or low-emission sources. The government remains committed to investing in infrastructure that will help us to reach net zero, and to work, as I said, with the provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to ensure that clean energy can circulate in Canada rapidly and efficiently.
Thank you for that answer. That is a very insightful response. Thank you, Senator Gold.
I will lean in a little more. According to some reports, despite a decade of investments, we still need to invest about $200 billion by 2035 to meet current green-grid goals and even more to accommodate rapid growth in electricity demand due to an increased number of electric vehicles.
Our population also continues to climb. In other words, not only do we need to replace emitting sources of electricity from our grid, but we also need to expand our grid.
As one of our Senate reports stated in 2017, the bulk of the transition will have to be paid for through higher electricity rates or higher public spending to stabilize rates and to drive clean‑generation investment.
Beyond investments in infrastructure, what is the government doing to ensure our grid remains reliable, affordable for households and businesses and resilient to climate change-related natural disasters like floods and storms?
Thank you for the question. Canadians have been clear that they expect their government — their governments, in fact — to do more to fight climate change, to reduce emissions and to transition away from emission-intensive energy in Canada and abroad. That is why the Regional Tables to which I’ve referred have been established.
As well, every year across Canada, we’re seeing the increasingly devastating and costly impacts of climate change — from floods, to wildfires, to severe storms that have hit us recently in the East.
The government recognizes that urgent action is needed to provide and build local resiliency and protect communities in the years ahead. That’s why the government is investing over $3.3 billion in the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, which supports communities in building local resiliency.
The government knows that to reduce emissions, we need to move towards lesser emission-intensive energy sources. That is why — from the federal investment in the Atlantic Loop to the development of small modular reactors, or SMRs, and government investments in renewable energy across the country — the government is not only decarbonizing our electrical grid, but increasing our clean electrical production.
