Press Release

For Immediate Release:

FEDERAL ELECTRIFICATION PLANS DESTRUCTIVE AND UNNECESSARY

Toronto, November 16, 2023: The Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses Canada (CCMBC) recently submitted their views on the Clean Electricity Regulations to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in response to the government’s consultation on this sweeping policy change.

CCMBC President Catherine Swift commented that “Our Canadian electricity grid is already one of the cleanest in the world, with more than 84 per cent of electricity generated from non-emitting sources such as hydro, nuclear and wind. The cost of punitive regulations that will have a very negative impact on some provinces and will impose massive costs on all Canadians while undermining grid reliability does not justify a very small increase in clean electricity generation.”

In addition, the fact the federal government has backed off imposing the carbon tax on heating oil, has been rebuked by the Supreme Court in their rejection of the federal Impact Assessment Act (the no pipelines bill) as unconstitutional and that the electrical grid is clearly identified as provincial jurisdiction in Canada’s Constitution have all undermined the government’s moral authority to proceed. These recent developments should in fact trigger a complete rethink of all Canada’s climate policies.  

The next shoe to drop on the ever-expanding number of rules and regulations imposed on Canadians by the federal government in the guise of limiting greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) will be the emissions caps to be imposed on Canada’s oil and gas industry. ECCC Minister Guilbeault has promised to publish those caps by the end of 2023. Swift commented “The industry fully expects these emissions caps to be so unrealistic that they will lead to an actual reduction in production for the Canadian industry at a time when our clean, responsible energy products are badly needed both domestically and globally.”

As the foolishness and impossibility of achieving a net zero agenda and the negative impacts on average citizens and businesses becomes more and more clear to countries around the world, they have been backing off their initial extreme plans to rapidly phase out fossil fuels. International conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the vicious Hamas attack on Israel have made energy resources all the more important. “Canada’s wealth of energy resources could play a stabilizing role in these global conflicts by replacing oil and gas exports that are used to finance terror by Russia and Iran”, Swift said. “It is absurd that the Trudeau government would rather constrain this important sector for minimal gain than develop it for the benefit of Canadians and other peaceful democracies.”

CCMBC’s full submission on the federal proposals can be found at

SUBMISSION TO ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA CLEAN ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS

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The CCMBC was formed in 2016 with a mandate to advocate for proactive and innovative policies that are conducive to manufacturing and business retention and safeguarding job growth in Canada.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Catherine Swift at 416 816 7248 or [email protected].

Report in PDF format:

CCMBC_Response_to_Federal_Clean_Electricity_Regs_Nov_1__2023.pdf