Posted on 29 June 2010
Ottawa, June 29, 2010 – The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources is inviting all Canadians to have a say in Canada’s energy future.
The call to participate in a national energy dialogue came in the committee’s Interim Report entitled “Attention Canada!”, which was tabled in the Senate today following nearly nine months of testimony from Canada’s leading energy thinkers, research institutions and other stakeholders. The message is clear: there is urgent need for a national discussion on energy. Canada requires a comprehensive Canadian Sustainable Energy Strategy now.
“The future of energy in Canada is something that affects us all. From turning on a light, driving our cars to work, and picking up our groceries at the local supermarket, we are consuming the outputs of Canada’s renewable and non-renewable energy sectors. Energy is so pervasive in our lives, yet many of us don’t know its sources or the environmental and economic impacts of our consumption. One of our main goals with this report is to increase the energy literacy of Canadians, with the intent of working together to build a secure, competitive, sustainable and innovative strategy for Canada,” said Senator W. David Angus.
“Canada cannot afford to watch from the sidelines when it comes to our energy future. Successful countries will be those that innovate and harness opportunities created in moving to more sustainable production, transmission and uses of energy. By bringing the sustainable energy debate front and centre in the minds of Canadians, we will be instrumental in creating policies that capitalize on the successes in our energy systems while also achieving our environmental and energy security goals,” said Senator Grant Mitchell.
Building on the interim report, the committee will consult Canadians throughout the country including governments at all levels and key stakeholders across the full spectrum of energy production, transmission, distribution and use. The goal is to increase the energy discussion in Canada and develop a road map for Canada’s energy future which will help form the basis of recommendations in a final report from the committee expected in June 2011. To facilitate this process, the committee is establishing a website dedicated to this study.
The committee also plans to release a report on the state of offshore exploration and drilling in Canada and the applicable regulatory regime later this summer based on emergency hearings it undertook following the April 20, 2010 tragic explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore oil rig and subsequent massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Committee Chair Senator W. David Angus and Deputy Chair Grant Mitchell are available for interviews on the subject matter of this Interim Report. To schedule an interview or learn more about the committee, please contact:
Tracie LeBlanc Lynn Gordon
Media Relations Clerk of the committee
613-995-1952 or 1-800-267-7362 613-991-3620
leblat@sen.parl.gc.ca gordol@sen.parl.gc.ca