OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHINAABEG PEOPLE (September 23, 2025)
On September 24 and 25, 17 allied organizations will meet with more than two dozen members of Parliament to demonstrate clear support for the federal government to build Canada’s east-west electricity grid with renewable energy, while upholding Indigenous and workers’ rights.
The coalition is wide-ranging, with labour unions, Indigenous clean-energy leaders, doctors, faith groups, climate activists, electrical workers and municipal councillors from across Canada working together for the first time to prioritize building renewable electricity across the country.
The coalition agrees that the federal government’s recent announcements on major projects signal missed opportunities. Collectively, they agree that an east-west electricity grid powered by renewable energy meets this moment and requires federal and provincial funding.
An east-west electricity grid with renewable energy will bring health, employment and economic benefits across Canada. This is especially true when it upholds workers’ rights by using made-in-Canada components and union labour. Beyond the health benefits of mitigating climate change, renewables and electrification would also bring billions of dollars in health-care system savings.
All projects must uphold the legal and inherent rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada. The federal government should also recognize the leadership of Indigenous communities by prioritizing Indigenous-led electricity projects.
Today, Provincial electricity systems are significantly more interconnected with the United States than with one another, and Canada’s electricity needs are projected to double or even triple before 2050 due to increasing electrification of industry, transportation and heating. Building interprovincial electricity connections solves multiple problems, with studies showing it will reduce energy costs and improve reliability by connecting regions to low-cost renewable power.
Most people in Canada want to see these projects built, with 77 per cent saying they support upgrading Canada’s grid by connecting provinces and territories with new transmission lines, and 72 per cent supporting federal funding for new transmission lines. When given the choice, Canadians prefer a connected east-west electricity grid to help power Canada’s economy with renewable energy over a new pipeline to transport oil to either the East or West Coast for export.
Melina Laboucan-Massimo – Founder and Executive Director, Sacred Earth, Lubicon Cree
“In an era of wildfires and floods, Indigenous communities across the country are disproportionately facing the burdens of the climate crisis and fossil fuel extraction. Sacred Earth urges political leaders to prioritize critical transmission linkages between the provinces and territories through progressive energy policy and project investments that align with climate science, prioritize public and Indigenous ownership and uphold the rights of workers and Indigenous Peoples. Through these actions, we can advance energy sovereignty, self-determination and climate resiliency, creating a just future for all. The Canadian government must pick a path: injustice and environmental destruction, or a legacy of climate leadership, ecological balance and true economic reconciliation.”
Brandon Dyck – Government Affairs, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
“IBEW members across Canada are geared up and ready to build out a truly national electrical network from generation to end user. We share a long history of electrifying Canada through private and public endeavours with a highly skilled and diversified workforce. This renewed focus on clean, affordable power, easily shared across provincial borders, will provide long-term energy for homes and industries while also creating well-paying union jobs. Governments throughout the country should support the initiative for expanding renewables and transmission, with the participation of First Nations, to benefit the communities in which these workers live, creating more opportunities beyond fossil fuel extraction.”
Stephen Thomas – Clean Energy Manager, David Suzuki Foundation
“We are united in our call for the federal government to prioritize funding an east-west electricity grid with renewable energy that upholds workers’ and Indigenous rights. The effects of an east-west grid will be felt widely across the country, creating thousands of jobs, improving energy security and saving people money on energy bills. Building pipelines is a waste of time and money that only benefits fossil fuel billionaires in the long run. This moment in Canada calls for real solutions to the overlapping crises we face. We need jobs that are here to stay, affordable energy and to make sure our kids have healthy air to breathe. This will only be possible through building Canada’s east-west grid with renewables.”
Helen Hsu – Physician, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE)
“The health of the environment is the health of the people. We cannot thrive in isolation. Climate change and extreme weather harm physical and mental health. A national east-west renewable energy grid would reduce air pollution, improving Canadians’ health in the short term, and cut carbon emissions, protecting long-term health.”
David Miller – Co-Chair, Elbows Up for Climate
“This summer, communities throughout the country were seriously affected by wildfires, smoke and evacuation orders — caused or made worse by climate change. Canada needs to do its part to help the world avoid climate breakdown. A national clean energy grid will help us reach our potential to be a clean-energy superpower, directly benefiting our steel, aluminum and advanced manufacturing industries at a time when they’re under threat. It needs to be the government’s first priority as we continue to nation-build.”
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For more information or interviews, please contact:
Stefanie Carmichael: sCarmichael@davidsuzuki.org, 416-348-9885 x 1583
Rosie Rattray: rrattray@davidsuzuki.org, 416-570-3728