King Charles’ speech from the throne was widely welcomed by clean energy, environmental and industry organizations in Canada for its emphasis on strengthening the country’s economy led by a strategy to become a world leading “energy superpower” that was more competitive globally and combatted the climate crisis.
But several cautioned that job creation and economic growth in the face of the ongoing US trade war must not impede progress on the energy transition when the cost of living is skyrocketing due to grocery prices jacked up by climate change-fuelled supply-chain upheaval; rising home insurance premiums connected to extreme weather; and tax hikes linked to paying for disaster recovery and infrastructure repair.
In the throne speech, the first in almost 50 years by a sitting sovereign, King Charles said Canada could see “the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War,” if a number of anti-growth “barriers,” including those related to interprovincial trade, were removed.
“Given the pace of change and the scale of opportunities, speed is of the essence. By removing these barriers that have held back our economy, we will unleash a new era of growth that will ensure we don’t just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever,” King Charles said.
“It will enable Canada to become the world’s leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy. To build an industrial strategy that will make Canada more globally competitive while fighting climate change. To build hundreds of thousands of good careers in the skilled trades. And to build Canada into the world’s leading hub for science and innovation.”.
‘Time for change, not status quo’
Rachel Doran, executive director at Clean Energy Canada, a think-tank, said the common theme of the throne speech was that it is a “time for change, not status quo thinking,” especially around the shift away from fossil fuels.
“Acting swiftly on policy priorities will strengthen Canada’s competitive advantage in an increasingly unpredictable global economy, while enhancing Canadian sovereignty, resilience and energy security,” says Canadian Climate Institute’s Rick Smith
“Change means rethinking our trade relationships, investing in new and growing industries, building faster and more efficiently, and ensuring that affordability and sustainability are written into the DNA of all of these efforts from day one,” she said in a statement.
“It is clear, as mentioned in the throne speech, that Canada can and should action an industrial strategy that will both make us more globally competitive and combat climate change. These are not distinct but complementary objectives.”
Doran pointed to studies from the International Energy Agency, a global energy watchdog, that showed Canadian household energy bills “will shrink as we near net zero.”
Rick Smith, president of the Canadian Climate Institute, a policy research body,…
Read More: Throne speech pledges ‘energy superpower’ future but observers flag climate
