Industry, labour and Indigenous initiative urges government to implement a nation-building electrification effort
Press Release
(OTTAWA, ON) November 18, 2025 – Following the passing of Budget 2025, an initiative of industry, business, labour and Indigenous partners spanning mining, construction, steel, clean energy and technology is urging the federal government to put clean electrification at the centre of Canada’s economic strategy, warning that it is essential to securing long-term growth, investment and global competitiveness.
“As the Prime Minister stated last week: clean electricity is the path—the only path—to a sustainable, profitable economy,” said Merran Smith, president of New Economy Canada, an initiative of 60+ organizations representing 410,000 workers and generating more than $200 billion CAD in annual revenue. “Expanding generation, storage, transmission and energy efficiency will create hundreds of thousands of skilled jobs and enhance the abundant clean power that is Canada’s competitive advantage”.
At a press conference moderated by Smith, industry leaders stressed that clean, reliable electricity has become a fundamental input to nearly every fast-growing sector — including AI, clean manufacturing, critical minerals and security — and should be treated as a strategic economic advantage.
The group welcomed the recent announcement of clean electricity generation and transmission projects under the Major Projects Office, while emphasizing that additional action is still necessary. “We appreciate efforts to speed up approvals, but access to affordable, reliable electricity is becoming a barrier to development”, said Smith. “Canada has the opportunity to go far beyond one-off project approvals and make clean electrification a nation-building priority that will greenlight projects across the country and attract billions in private investment.”
Public opinion is aligned with this direction: a post-budget poll by Spark Insights found 75% of Canadians believe building more clean electricity and new transmission lines should be considered a nation building project.[1]
To power Canada’s growth and keep businesses competitive, Smith urged the federal government to:
- Task the Major Projects Office with advancing major clean power and transmission projects as a strategic area of focus.
- Launch a “United Canada” grid initiative that builds interprovincial transmission and energy corridors, respecting provincial and Indigenous jurisdictions.
- Unlock private investment through the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit.
Supportive quotes from industry leaders
Colleen Giroux-Schmidt, senior vice president of Innergex Renewable Energy Inc said:
“We welcome the commitments in Budget 2025 — providing durable supports that will help enable the build out of this critical infrastructure, reduce risk and harness the partnership between private capital and Indigenous business leadership. But we still need a streamlined regulatory framework, investments in interprovincial transmission corridors, stable funding commitments for Indigenous partners, and durable tax incentives that offer long-term certainty so investors know Canada is open for clean-power business. At Innergex, we’re ready to continue our leadership in building a better Canada with renewable energy.”
Matt Harper, president of Invinity Energy Systems said:
“From our Vancouver manufacturing warehouse to projects across the country, we’re scaling Canadian-based innovation for Canadian needs — and also for export. But to scale at the speed we need to support energy-intensive new development projects, we must match ambition with infrastructure, policy and coordination. Budget 2025 signalled positive momentum toward clean electricity and storage — now we need to ensure Canada sets the rules that attract investment, streamline permitting, and enable solutions like ours to deploy at utility and industrial scale, quickly.”
Tabatha Bull, president & CEO of Canadian Council for Indigenous Business said:
“Indigenous business leaders are not just participating in Canada’s clean-energy future; they are an essential component. Across the country, Indigenous-owned enterprises and community-owned partnerships are advancing wind, solar, battery storage, transmission projects, and infrastructure that will drive Canada’s clean power economy. To realize this opportunity, there is more to do. We need clear, long-term policy frameworks built with Indigenous leaders at the table. When Indigenous businesses are meaningfully included, Canada’s clean-energy transition is stronger, faster, more just, and more prosperous for all. That’s how we build clean power, community prosperity and economic reconciliation.”
John Risley, OC, chair of Clean Grid Atlantic said:
“I worry about the country. I think we are in deep trouble. Foreign direct involvement has dried up, our productivity numbers relative to the G7 are terrible, and we’ve got huge uncertainty around the renegotiation of our free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico. So, what can we do? We need to move with far greater urgency and start making things happen. The market for electricity is insatiable. Our project alone — a $16 billion transmission line — would support 10GW of production capacity, roughly $60 billion in value. There isn’t another major project in Canada at the scale. And it doesn’t stop there. The numbers are enormous and can be a huge driver for economic transformation.”
New Economy Canada is a non-partisan initiative uniting over 60 companies, labour unions and Indigenous organizations, all committed to accelerating investment in Canada’s clean economy. Our members employ or represent over 410,000 workers and generate annual revenues of over $200 billion CAD.
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