In August 2023, the Government of Canada released the draft Clean Electricity Regulations (CER), outlining the details of a major new policy that is to play a critical role in decarbonizing the country’s electricity grids, building on clean electricity’s competitive advantage. There are many opinions about whether the regulations have struck the right balance in attempting to drive significant emission reductions, while ensuring electricity remains affordable and reliable.
In the first part of this two-part series, we looked at some of the important design elements and the trade-offs they sought to balance. In part two, we put the regulations in a broader context, discussing some of the other electricity policies that together can move Canada towards a net zero electricity grid by 2035.
The past several years have seen significant changes in the electricity policy landscape, with the federal government embracing a leadership role in at least two specific areas: addressing carbon pollution and providing funding for grid transformation and the deployment of cleaner electricity and infrastructure.
Action in each of these areas has come with its own policies that play a critical role in achieving our net zero goals, but also have limitations about what they can accomplish on their own.