Electrification underpins Canada's economic competitiveness in new national strategy

New Economy Canada welcomes national electricity strategy positioning increased supply, grid connections, and electrification as the drivers of Canada's growth agenda

OTTAWA, ON, May 14, 2026 /CNW/ - Canada's national electricity strategy sends a clear signal that affordable, reliable clean power--and the electrification it supports--is now central to the country's economic growth, industrial competitiveness and investment future.

Why this matters:

• Electricity does more than keep the lights on, it is foundational economic infrastructure. This strategy places clean power at the heart of Canada's growth, productivity and affordability agenda. 
• Reliable, affordable and clean electricity is the foundation for Canada's most strategic industries, including mining and critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, AI and sovereign data centres. How Canada builds the grid of the future will define its global competitiveness for decades. 
• A more connected national grid would cut costs, strengthen reliability, and lower emissions, generating billions in net benefits, boosting resilience for extreme events, and making better use of low-cost renewable energy.
• As industries, transportation and buildings electrify, Canada will need significantly more electricity supply to meet growing demand. That means building faster, cleaner, and smarter today, supported by stronger collaboration for inter-provincial grid connections and made-in-Canada supply chains. 

In response, Merran Smith, President of New Economy Canada said:

"We welcome this strategy because electrification is the backbone of competitiveness, growth, energy security, and affordability, and that means we need more clean power as fast as we can build it.

We need more interprovincial transmission, a more modern and digital grid, secure supply chains, a skilled workforce, and the right investment conditions to make it all happen. Our competitors and trading partners are doing likewise, showing what's possible and raising the bar.

The national strategy provides the right framework to get this done, but collaboration, speed, follow-through and investment will ultimately determine whether its ambition can be fulfilled.

It's time to double down on electricity, electrification and energy productivity, and we need all governments, utilities and the business community to work together to make it happen."

Highlights include:

• Transmission as a nation-building transformative strategy: A new Transmission InterConnect Investment Strategy referred to the Major Projects Office. This builds on existing interprovincial-territorial partnerships to better connect grids.
• Rapid project buildout: Federal reviews and decision-making timelines will take no more than one year.
• Re-commitment to a net-zero electricity grid by 2050: Electrifying the economy will deliver cost-effective emission reductions.
• Building out Canada's electricity supply chain: Plans to develop and strengthen domestic manufacturing of key components and smart, clean technology. This builds off the federal investments in supporting tariff-impacted workers and sectors.
• Training the next generation of skilled trades careers: the Team Canada Strong initiative will recruit, train, and hire up to 100,000 new Red Seal trades workers.
• Supporting intraprovincial grid transmission with the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit: Expanding the Clean Electricity ITC to certain major high-voltage intra-provincial transmissions projects, complementing existing support for inter-provincial interties.

New Economy Canada is a non-partisan initiative uniting 70+ companies, labour unions and Indigenous organizations, all committed to accelerating investment in Canada's clean economy. Our members employ or represent over 485,000 workers. https://neweconomycanada.ca

SOURCE New Economy Canada

For media inquiries: Rebecca Spring, Senior Director of Communications, New Economy Canada, [email protected]