Reject 30‑Year Export Licence

AI summary

Petitioners ask Canada to reject Powell River Energy Inc.'s 30‑year export licence (until 2055) for electricity. The government responds that Natural Resources Canada says the Canada Energy Regulator is reviewing the application and cannot comment.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. 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 dangerous 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 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 enables economic leakage which deprives Canadians of the benefits garnered from the sale of exported electricity, 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 harmful 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.