Natural Resources

This House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources meeting, held on February 5, 2026, was part of a study on Canadian energy exports. Appearing as witnesses were Lisa Baiton, President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP); Catherine Swift, President of the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada; and Francis Bradley, President and CEO of Electricity Canada.

Lisa Baiton argued that expanding oil and gas exports is critical for Canada's economy, productivity, and sovereignty, noting that the country loses billions by selling most of its energy to a single customer, the United States. She emphasized that global energy demand will continue to grow and that Canada must set the right policy conditions to attract investment, specifically calling for changes to the newly amended methane regulations and proposed industrial carbon pricing, which she said impose billions in new costs that no competitor nation faces. She disagreed with the premise that Canada cannot become an energy superpower, stating that regulatory certainty is required to attract private investment and that the window for action is limited.

Catherine Swift stated that Canada's manufacturing sector has been shrinking, partly due to green policies that increase electricity costs and make businesses uncompetitive, and that this decline is closely linked to policies affecting the oil and gas sector. She argued that Bill C-5, which allows the government to selectively override legislation, concedes that those laws are bad and should be repealed entirely rather than bypassed, and that the bill facilitates government "winner-picking." She disagreed with the notion that Canada can significantly replace U.S. trade with other countries, calling that "pure fiction," and stressed that uncompetitive conditions have driven manufacturers out of Canada long before recent trade tensions.

Francis Bradley highlighted that Canada's electricity grid is already among the cleanest and most reliable in the world, with rates 51% lower than the OECD average, and that electricity is a key enabler of energy exports, from LNG to aluminum. He recommended modernizing regulations with a two-year federal approval timeline for all electricity projects, mobilizing capital by removing barriers like the EIFEL rules, and strengthening sector resilience against extreme weather and labour shortages. He noted that the clean electricity regulations, as written, would significantly impact reliability and costs in provinces with more carbon-intensive grids, and that greater regional collaboration and new technologies like offshore wind and vehicle-to-grid integration will be needed to meet projected demand.

During the question period, members discussed the need for transformative policy and regulatory change, with witnesses reiterating calls to repeal or reform laws that block projects and to ensure competitive carbon policies. The committee did not engage in procedural debate, motions, or votes during this meeting.