“Today’s Throne Speech hit on a number of familiar points for this new government, but we believe a common theme has emerged underneath this new vision for Canada: that it is a time for change, not status quo thinking.
“Change means rethinking our trade relationships, investing in new and growing industries, building faster and more efficiently, and ensuring that affordability and sustainability are written into the DNA of all of these efforts from day one. It is clear, as mentioned in the Throne Speech, that Canada can and should action an industrial strategy that will both make us more globally competitive and combat climate change. These are not distinct but complementary objectives.
“Multiple studies, from the International Energy Agency to modelling done in Canada, find that household energy bills will shrink as we near net zero. Our research at Clean Energy Canada has similarly found that, already, switching to clean energy saves families money—even when you factor in upfront costs.
“It is also the case that building with low-carbon construction materials does not need to add cost to building, but it can seriously lower emissions. In both cases, what is required is foresight. And a recognition that we must not only build homes affordably—but homes that are affordable to live in month to month.
“Building these homes is an opportunity to support industries and jobs here at home, but it is far from Canada’s only growing economic opportunity. Canada has trade agreements with 60% of the global economy, making us well positioned to lessen our reliance on U.S. markets. And as recent Clean Energy Canada analysis shows, among our 10 largest non-U.S. trade partners, all of them have net-zero commitments and carbon pricing systems, and roughly half apply carbon border adjustments on imports and have domestic EV requirements reshaping their car markets.
“The potential for Canada’s critical minerals, innovative clean technologies, and low-carbon industrial products is huge, ongoing, and an opportunity whose future we can be certain of. This year, one in four cars sold globally will be electric. Donald Trump’s America is not the rule—but the belligerent, temporary exception.
“To build up Canada’s best long-term opportunities while also improving affordability for families, the federal government must invest in the market here at home. In short, you need to buy what you’re building if you want to compete abroad, from low-carbon materials to electric cars and the components that go into them. When governments “Buy Clean,” they are disproportionately procuring and supporting Canadian industries. Meanwhile, helping Canadians access and financially benefit from these technologies by lowering the bar to entry is key—from incentives, to more competitive offerings, to essential infrastructure upgrades.
“We look forward to working with the new federal government and holding it accountable to its vision. After all, we agree with the central premise: now is not the time for status quo thinking.”
