Canada's Electrification Advantage in the Race to Net Zero

The business-led task force Electrifying Canada is calling on Canada’s premiers – through the Council of the Federation – to spearhead the development and implementation of an electrification strategy for Canada.

This is the key recommendation from its new report, Canada’s Electrification Advantage in the Race to Net Zero, which synthesizes existing research and interviews with 20 corporate and Indigenous leaders to identify what it will take to accelerate the pace of clean electrification in Canada.

While the federal government has an important role to play, responsibility for electricity and energy systems more broadly largely resides with the provinces. Only they have the authority to direct utilities and regulators alike to align their planning and decisions with the electrification needed to reach net-zero, and they will need to work together to optimize and integrate their power grids to do so at the lowest cost to consumers.

The report identifies five catalysts that can help overcome current barriers to business electrification and serve as a starting point for a national electrification strategy.

1. Act to develop plans and deploy near-term electrification projects.
2. Empower utility climate leadership through regulator and utility net- zero mandates.
3. Align utility planning and growth with net-zero pathways to ensure ample clean power supply.
4. Tilt the playing field to provide the certainty needed to drive electrification.
5. Finance electrification projects by crowding in private investment.

Electrifying Canada is the Energy Transitions Commission’s affiliated regional chapter.