Save, baby, save. It’s not quite as catchy as the more familiar build-oriented slogan that accompanies a lot of what the Carney government has done over the last year. But if the prime minister wants to improve our energy sovereignty, address cost of living concerns and avoid exacerbating regional tensions, he should embrace energy efficiency as a nation-building project. 

As Liberal MP Éric St-Pierre argued during the recent party convention in Montreal, “the cheapest [unit of] energy is the one that we don’t use.” He managed to get his energy efficiency pitch included in the 24 “priority” resolutions approved by the assembled faithful, and his efforts are echoed by a petition that all Canadians can sign until July 2. It notes that by improving Canada’s energy productivity, energy efficiency measures yield $4 to $7 in additional GDP for every $1 invested.

But the benefits of energy efficiency investments go well beyond just raw economic output. They increase our national energy sovereignty and independence and protect consumers and businesses from the impact of exogenous geopolitical shocks and the higher energy prices that seem to inevitably result from them. They generate results far more quickly than other nation-building investments like pipelines and mines, which tend to take the better part of a decade (or more) to get built. And they avoid........

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