3 days ago
- Business
- National Observer
What kind of Canada do we want to build?
When the prime minister and premiers recently met in Saskatoon, it was Trump's attacks that brought them together.
As wildfires forced tens of thousands to evacuate in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, the first ministers gathered to discuss the nation-building projects Canada needs.
Driving into town through the smoke, they passed our billboards: a wildfire fighter facing a smoke-filled sky with the message 'Don't Let Canada Burn. Connect Canada's Clean Power. Build the East-West Electricity Grid. '
Crisis has a way of sharpening choices between falling back on what you know and evolving into what you can be.
Canada must retool our economy to withstand US economic pressure and the escalating fossil-fuel-driven climate disasters.
There are loud voices calling for us to react by building new pipelines, trampling Indigenous rights and deluding ourselves about climate pollution.
Instead, we must build to last. We can strengthen our communities with clean, affordable energy. We can steward some of the world's vast remaining forests. We can cut pollution, grow good jobs that can't be offshored and build our economy on security, not volatility.
The economic future will belong to countries that can supply affordable, clean power for their economies, writes Jamie Biggar
In doing so, we'll position ourselves to be leaders in the clean electricity transition that's building momentum.
Despite political backsliding in the US, demand for clean electricity technology is booming because it's cheaper, faster to deploy and safer for communities.
In China, EV car sales grew 40 per cent in 2024 alone, and now 1 in 4 cars sold worldwide in 2025 will be electric. Global oil demand will peak this decade.
According to the International Energy Association, annual global investment in clean energy and electricity infrastructure is now fully double the global investment in fossil fuels.
In 2026, the $26T European Union market will introduce a carbon tariff, putting real costs on any carbon-intensive imports from countries that fall behind.
The economic future will belong to countries that can supply affordable, clean power for their economies.
We have a choice: invest in infrastructure that sets Canada up to thrive for the next fifty years, or double down on costly projects designed for a world that is slipping away.
Clean, reliable electric power is the future because it cuts risks, costs and pollution alike. Since clean electricity is where the world is going, we are fortunate to have incredible resources and leaders across the country.
Canada's largest operating battery storage facility opened in Ontario just before the first ministers' meeting — a project conceived by the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corp, with a 70 per cent Indigenous workforce.
One of the most powerful nation-building, Trump-proofing projects is an East-West electricity grid that moves clean power when it's needed.
Since the 1960s, we have built our electricity grids North-South to export power to the US. We've neglected East-West connections that would unite our country and boost our economy. It's time to change that.
Consider Alberta and BC. Alberta has world-class wind and solar potential. BC has massive hydroelectric capacity. Connecting their grids means clean Alberta power will flow to BC when the wind blows and the sun shines. When the wind dies down and day turns to night, then BC's power will flow back to Alberta. That's a system built to last.
Nova Scotia is another case in point. The province has vast offshore wind potential — enough to send power across Eastern Canada, including the markets and manufacturing centres of Quebec. But without links between the provinces, that energy won't reach the places it's needed.
This isn't just about megawatts. It's about the country we want to build. Do we want short-term projects that lock us into pollution and geopolitical risk, or long-term infrastructure that strengthens Canada's independence and economic staying power?
It also means meaningful partnership with Indigenous communities whose lands and rights are too often trampled when governments rush major projects. True partnership, based on consent, is moral, constitutional and smart. It leads to better designed projects, fewer delays and shared prosperity.
At its best, Canada is a country built on evolving agreements between nations — Indigenous and non-Indigenous. We can live up to that vision by ensuring Indigenous peoples are full partners in building a clean energy future — indeed, they have been leading in the field in Canada for years.
Prime Minister Carney is right that we are making decisions in a 'hinge' moment for the country. We're deciding what kind of projects we will fund and fast-track. We can keep pouring public money into unneeded pipelines. Or, we can build the infrastructure to connect our clean power and secure our long-term prosperity.
Don't let Canada burn. Canada needs energy that's built to last: clean, reliable and built in partnership with the communities that host it.
