China currently owns the battery supply chain and it’s time for Canada to redraw the map
Electric vehicles are big business. A decade ago, there were 120,000 EVs sold worldwide. Today, that many are sold in a single week. By 2030, the number is expected to be closer to a million a week. Around the world, automakers are pouring millions of dollars into electrifying their vehicles. But with supply snarls pulling […]
Critical minerals strategy key to strengthening our global leadership and economic security
A few months ago, I wrote about how our government was developing a critical minerals strategy. This strategy will support an end-to-end supply chain in Canada. Critical minerals, electric batteries, and electric vehicles are a part of Canada’s 2050 net-zero future, and our economic future. Developing policy and committing investments that position Canada as a […]
Efficient use of critical minerals is the only strategy that supports Canada’s climate goals
When it comes to climate change action, Canada finds itself in a unique position. All federal political parties recognize climate change is real and dangerous. But the war in Europe, global supply chain bottlenecks, and rising energy prices have hammered the economy. Rightly, the government is trying to combat climate change through symbiotic economic stimulus […]
Reframing Canada’s contribution to the global energy supply
Canada has so much to offer the world in meeting its energy needs—if only Canadians would get out of their own way. It took the oil and gas industry far too long to acknowledge the role hydrocarbons have in climate change and, unfortunately, there are still those who prefer to rail against some imaginary injustice […]
Natural Resources
Feds reclassified Trans Mountain as a ‘non-agent’ Crown corporation to avoid parliamentary scrutiny, says NDP critic
Trans Mountain Corporation and Finance Canada both say an April 20 change to the Crown corporation’s official status was made in order to allow it to obtain third-party financing, after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced on Feb. 18 that the government would not provide any further public money to the project. But NDP environment critic […]
Hit Russia where it counts—at the pumps
OTTAWA—We are now well into the third month of Russia’s war in Ukraine and it appears that there is little hope of the conflict ending anytime soon. The Ukrainian military has proven itself to be better trained, equipped, and motivated than the surprisingly inept Russian armed forces. On land, at sea, and in the air, […]
Let’s make sure we get Canada’s critical minerals strategy right
Given the context of this year’s federal budget—surging energy prices, post-COVID economic stabilization, and a war in Europe—the Government of Canada was understandably more focused than perhaps in any of the Trudeau government’s previous budgets. It was not Christmas morning with a bauble for everyone. It was a disciplined and focused approach to the challenges […]
Funding for fossil fuels could derail Canada’s new plan to reduce emissions
Canadian climate news has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Just over a month ago, the federal government released the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, the most comprehensive Canadian climate plan to date, and the 2022 budget, scarcely a week apart. That same week, the urgent call of the world’s top scientists reached a fever pitch […]
Industry stakeholders, experts applaud feds’ critical minerals spending, as geopolitics loom large in supply chains
The federal government’s recent $3.8-billion budget proposal to develop Canada’s increasingly important critical minerals sector has been met with support from industry experts. But David Billedeau, senior director of natural resources and environmental sustainability at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says it’s still “the start of a very long journey—other countries are more advanced in […]
