Since his election, Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to make Canada an energy superpower on the international stage. Meanwhile, at home, millions of Canadians are struggling to keep up with the cost of power. After a bit of a wait, Ottawa says it’s finally delivering on a promise of energy affordability.

The federal government recently pledged to help more than 35,000 low- and median-income households in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec access no-cost home retrofits. Manitoba was the first province to announce a partnership in September 2025.

The federal government’s framing was clear: Almost every sentence and quote in its press release cited affordability and lower energy bills “for every family.” Amid global uncertainty and volatile costs, this rollout of the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program (CGHAP) is starting to fill a critical gap that will provide households with much-needed support.

But with nearly two million Canadian households struggling to afford the energy they need, Ottawa must build upon this momentum. 

Canada needs to roll out CGHAP in all provinces and territories, more than double the program’s funding, and launch a national strategy to end energy poverty to........

© National Observer