Canada needs to make renewable energy and energy efficiency the highest priorities in energy policy, and build new power and fuel infrastructure to deliver renewable energy to Canadians.

Investing and supporting Canada’s renewable energy industries today will help create new jobs, ensure Canada is a competitive leader in the world’s future energy markets, and provide a reliable and secure source of energy for Canadian families. Increasing our use of renewable energy is also an important climate change strategy for Canada because it reduces our reliance on coal, oil and gas, which produce greenhouse gas pollutants that are fuelling global warming.

To advance Canada’s position as a renewable energy leader, we are working at the federal level to

• Research and assess renewable energy options and best practices
• Advocate for national renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE/EE) strategies, and for the establishment of national body(ies) to coordinate and lead RE/EE by:
  • participating in consultation processes, meetings and working groups on renewable fuels, green electricity and energy efficiency
  • working in partnerships such as the Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance (CanREA)
  • providing accurate information to Canadians on renewable energy to allow voters to make informed choices on energy issues

• Develop model renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies that demonstrate feasible options for transitioning to a renewable energy economy
• Encourage federal and provincial cooperation on renewable energy strategies and initiatives
• Advance Canada’s role in working with other nations to maximize investment and support for renewable energy in developing countries, which will help improve access to services and move countries beyond an unstable, unhealthy and inequitable reliance on fossil fuels.

A National RE Strategy for Canada

Pembina is currently advocating for the adoption and implementation of a National Renewable Energy Strategy for Canada with our partners in the Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance (CanREA). In 2005, Pembina and the other partners in CanREA hosted regional workshops and analyzed best practices around the world to develop a renewable energy framework. CanREA’s model for a National Renewable Energy Strategy is built on maximizing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy at both the federal and provincial levels.

Pembina has prepared background papers for CanREA to support the development of the model strategy:

• Financing Mechanisms for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (pdf)
• Energy Efficiency — The Cornerstone of a Sustainable Energy Future (pdf)

Pembina and other members of CanREA continue to engage governments in consultations and joint working committees, work with the renewable energy industry, and build support at the community level in order to promote strategies that maximizes the use of renewable energy in Canada and around the world.

Pembina’s paper, "Successful Strategies for Energy Efficiency," also reviews international experiences in energy efficiency that could be implemented in Canada at the provincial and federal level alongside renewable energy policies.

Federal Policy Initiatives Contact

• Roger Peters, Senior Technical and Policy Advisor
  Email: rogerp(at)pembina.org
  Phone: 819-483-6288 Ext. 22