This is Canada’s moment to secure our energy future

By James Scongack, Chair of the Green Ribbon Panel

Published in the Hill Times, September 21, 2026.

Canada is entering a defining moment in its history.

Across the country, governments and industry are preparing to invest in the energy, electricity, transportation and infrastructure systems that will shape Canada’s economy for generations. As of 2024, Canada had 504 megaprojects planned or under construction, representing approximately $633 billion in investment. This includes 205 clean energy projects valued at $192 billion.

The opportunity is enormous.

The energy we produce, the infrastructure we build and the decisions we make today will determine whether Canada can become the clean energy superpower it has the potential to be. But achieving that goal will require more than ambitious strategies and policy foundations.

It will require Canada to rediscover something it once did exceptionally well: building big.

A history of nation-building

For generations, Canadians responded to major challenges by working together to build the infrastructure needed to create lasting economic and social benefits. From the 1960s through the early 1990s, Canada experienced a remarkable era of nation-building. Large-scale investments in energy, transportation and civil infrastructure helped establish the foundation for decades of economic growth.

During this period, Canada developed significant expertise in delivering complex projects. Centralized Crown corporations operated with clear decision-making authority, strong in-house engineering capacity, skilled trades and institutional knowledge developed through continuous project delivery.

But beginning in the mid-1990s, Canada's capacity to deliver large greenfield megaprojects began to decline. Capital programs became smaller and more fragmented. Large-scale project pipelines became less predictable. Experienced workers retired, institutional knowledge was lost and fewer opportunities existed to develop the next generation of workers.

At the same time, the environment for delivering major projects became increasingly complex. Regulatory processes expanded, environmental and social expectations evolved, and projects increasingly required coordination among multiple levels of government, regulators, Indigenous communities, suppliers, contractors and local stakeholders.

These changes have created better and more comprehensive processes in many respects, but they have also contributed to longer timelines and greater complexity.

The execution challenge and the opportunity ahead

Today, Canada faces barriers to building the infrastructure it needs at the scale and in the timelines needed.

Workforce shortages are among the most pressing. Canada's skilled trades workforce is aging, while the number of new entrants has struggled to keep pace with retirements. Upcoming investments in electricity, nuclear energy, transportation, housing and other infrastructure will compete for many of the same workers.

Supply chains present another challenge. Major infrastructure projects depend on specialized equipment and materials that can take years to manufacture and deliver. Large power transformers, turbines, cables and other critical components are increasingly subject to global competition and limited manufacturing capacity. 

Construction risk and financing are also obstacles. Cost overruns and delays can create major financial consequences, making private investors and contractors increasingly cautious about accepting risks they cannot reasonably control. But well-designed contracting and delivery models can align incentives, allocate risk to the parties best able to manage it and promote collaboration across the project lifecycle.

Canada must also recognize that Indigenous engagement and economic participation are now central components of successful project delivery. Meaningful engagement cannot be treated as something that happens after a project is designed. The strongest projects increasingly involve Indigenous communities early in planning and create opportunities for equity ownership, procurement, employment and long-term economic participation.

The Green Ribbon Panel knows how to lead Canada through the generation of projects, by mitigating risks and adopting best practices to lead to successful project execution.

A new era of building, together

Canada has already begun laying important policy foundations for building big. The federal government's National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy has set an ambitious direction for the country, including a goal of doubling Canada's electricity capacity by 2050.

The good news is that Canada has an opportunity to rebuild its project execution proficiency. This will require Canada to think beyond individual projects and develop the capability to deliver a sustained program of infrastructure investment.

Moving from strategy to execution requires a renewed focus on critical success factors including: rigorous front-end planning and project definition, strong project governance and leadership, workforce development and knowledge retention, stakeholder and regularly engagement, early supplier engagement and supply chain resilience, advance project controls, risk management and digitization, and effective contracting and delivery models.

From policy to action

Government has a critical role to play by providing investment certainty, reducing unnecessary regulatory duplication, supporting early-stage project planning and using financing tools to reduce the cost of capital for strategically important infrastructure.

Industry, through the work of the Green Ribbon Panel, is leading in developing the skills, supply chains, technologies and project management capabilities required to deliver.

Industry is already demonstrating leadership in both building big and engaging meaningfully with Indigenous communities. Bruce Power’s Life-Extension and Major Component Replacement program shows how rigorous planning, gated decision-making, workforce alignment, early supplier engagement, and innovative technologies drive continuous improvement across projects. Meanwhile, Hydro One’s partnership model—offering First Nations communities up to 50% ownership in large-scale transmission projects over $100 million—provides a standardized approach to Indigenous partnership that could be replicated across sectors.

Canada’s moment

Canada has built big before. The challenge now is to apply these lessons to a new era—one that reflects today's expectations around environmental stewardship, Indigenous partnership, affordability, technology and economic resilience.

If governments, industry, labour, Indigenous communities and other partners work together to rebuild Canada's capacity for project execution, the country can do more than meet growing electricity demand. It can strengthen its economy, improve its energy security, develop new industrial capacity and create opportunities for future generations.

Green Ribbon Panel knows what it needs to do and is ready to execute. Learn more about how the Green Ribbon Panel is leading this work through the October 1st report release of One Canada. Built Together: Megaproject execution, securing Canada’s energy future.  

The strategies are in place. The investment opportunity is clear. The Green Ribbon Panel is ready to act.

Now we must build one Canada, together.