OTTAWA, Ontario – July 17, 2015. The Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) is encouraged by the integration of electricity into the Council of the Federation’s Canadian Energy Strategy, released earlier today.
“The Premiers captured the indispensable importance that electricity plays in the economic life of Canada, and in the everyday lives of Canadians,” said the Honourable Sergio Marchi, CEA’s President and CEO. “Electricity is essential to our prosperity and high quality of life, and the proposed Energy Strategy highlights electricity as a central part of the plan moving forward.”
CEA formally submitted a report to the Council of the Federation in 2013, entitled Power for the Future: Electricity’s Role in a Canadian Energy Strategy. This report contained seven recommendations for Premiers’ consideration, ranging from infrastructure to innovation to market diversification. Since the report’s release, CEA has continued to advocate these principles on behalf of its membership.
CEA was pleased that the Council of the Federation addressed most of its recommendations. However, the Strategy did not fully recognize the unique challenges of, and the critical need for, infrastructure investment in the electricity sector. In addition, the report did not address the changing relationship between customers and their energy service providers.
“The Premiers’ work in developing this strategy is hugely important for Canada,” added Marchi. “I remain hopeful that the four committees established will offer opportunities to further strengthen a number of these provisions.”
Click here to read a full list of CEA’s recommendations to the Council of the Federation.
Click here to read a Fact Sheet about the electricity sector in Canada.