Reject 30-year export licence
Petitioners ask the Government to reject PREI's 30‑yr licence to export electricity, saying it would lock Canadian resources and harm local development. The government responds that NRCan cannot comment during regulator review.
Why we would sign this petition
- Keeps power available for Canadian use, preserving flexibility to meet future domestic energy needs and support local economic recovery.
- Avoids creating a precedent of granting private firms long-term licences that tie Canadian resources to foreign markets.
- Helps ensure benefits from Canadian natural resources flow to local communities and taxpayers rather than primarily to a foreign-based parent company.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Allowing exports can generate revenue and market access that support regional economies and infrastructure.
- A 30‑year licence may be required to attract investment and financing for maintaining and operating generation assets; refusal could deter investors.
- The independent regulator’s assessment may address national‑interest concerns, so a government rejection before that review could be premature.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following: 1. That Powell River Energy Inc. (PREI), whose dams once powered local industry, has applied for a thirty-year electricity export licence to send power to the United States of America; 2. That approval of this licence would set a troubling precedent, as such a long-term licence has never been granted to a private corporation intending to sell its power to foreign electrical grids; 3. That locking in exports until 2055 would prevent Canadians from making future use of these resources to meet domestic energy demand or support local economic development, having a particularly negative impact on rural communities like Powell River that are struggling to recover from the loss of industry; 4. That the proposed licence deprives Canadians of the benefits garnered from the sale of exported electricity generated from Canadian natural resources, especially given that PREI's parent company, Brookfield Renewable Partners, is a Bermuda-based limited partnership. Therefore, we, the undersigned, call upon the Government of Canada to: reject Powell River Energy Inc.'s application for a thirty-year export licence, as it is not in the national interest, sets a troubling precedent, undermines economic development particularly in rural and Indigenous communities, and fails to ensure Canadian resources benefit Canadian communities and taxpayers.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Signed by The Honourable Tim Hodgson, P.C., M.P. Natural Resources Canada acknowledges the concerns presented in the Petition to the House of Commons. As this matter is currently before the independent Canada Energy Regulator Commission for assessment, Natural Resources Canada cannot comment at this time.