Canada may finally be ready to build the east-west electricity grid advocates have called for decades. Amid rising energy costs and economic uncertainty, the timing could not be better.

The newly announced National Energy Corridor Partnership — initiated by Ontario and including nine provinces and territories — aims to strengthen transmission connections across the country. It puts into view a nation-building project that could move clean electricity across provincial borders much as pipelines move oil and gas today.

If we get this right, this grid could become the pipeline of the future. 

It could carry renewable energy coast-to-coast, helping meet climate goals while strengthening the economy with made-in-Canada materials, creating jobs and reducing reliance on the United States.

But its success hinges on two fundamental questions: what kind of “clean” energy will power it, and who will build, own and benefit from it? 

As conversations about the grid unfold, we must consider the implications of the energy technologies at hand — from communities displaced by megadams, to those facing the generational impacts of nuclear waste.

Across the country, Indigenous communities are already leaders in clean energy development. From solar arrays to wind projects and battery storage, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities are investing in renewable power that creates local jobs, generates long-term revenue and strengthens energy independence.

Since 2022, Indigenous communities are partners in nearly one-fifth of Canada’s electricity generation — the vast majority of it renewable.

At Sacred Earth, we have the privilege of seeing firsthand the transformative power that comes with community empowerment and energy sovereignty: the wide-eyed wonder in an elder's eyes the first time we turned on a 20.8 kW solar array; the young worker sparkling with equal parts sweat and pride for the project they just helped build with their own hands that will power their community for generations to come.

Yet, too often, these projects encounter the same barrier: they cannot connect to the grid.

Transmission capacity is limited. Interprovincial connections are weak. And planning decisions about new infrastructure are often made long before Indigenous communities have a meaningful opportunity to participate.

Demand for electricity is rising rapidly as industries electrify and Canada’s population grows. Without stronger transmission links, regions cannot easily share clean power or balance supply and demand.

A modern east-west grid could change that.

Public appetite for that shift is already clear. Seven in 10 Canadians say they feel proud at the prospect of Canada becoming a renewable energy superpower — including a majority in Alberta (56 per cent) and nearly eight in 10 in Newfoundland and Labrador. At the same time, 65 per cent of Canadians want political leaders to follow through on promises to take stronger action on climate change.Last week, the David Suzuki Foundation released new polling on an east-west grid: : 72 per cent support federal funding for expanding the grid through new transmission lines, while only nine per cent oppose; 76 per cent support upgrading Canada’s electricity grid to reduce reliance on the United States as an electricity partner.

In other words, Canadians are ready. The question is whether governments will meet the moment.

But if this is truly about nation-building, it must also build stronger Indigenous nations.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has acknowledged this in the federal government’s Build Canada Act. Under the legislation, projects considered to be in Canada’s national interest must strengthen the country’s resilience, support clean economic growth and advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous communities should not simply be consulted after major decisions are made about projects on their territories. They should be involved in creating projects from the beginning — with real opportunities for leadership, partnership, equity ownership and participation in the economic benefits.

When Indigenous communities are partners in major infrastructure projects, the benefits ripple outward. Renewable energy developments can generate stable revenue for community services, create skilled jobs and support intergenerational training opportunities.

In remote and northern regions, locally produced clean power can also reduce reliance on diesel, improving health outcomes and energy reliability for communities that have historically been left out of energy system decisions.

We now have an opportunity to embed Indigenous leadership in Canada's energy future.

That means prioritizing grid connections for Indigenous renewable projects, expanding federal financing tools and upholding commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including free, prior and informed consent for all projects affecting Indigenous lands — as Carney has consistently promised he would.

For decades, pipelines defined Canada’s energy future. Now, clean electricity transmission could take their place. Carney has an opportunity — and a responsibility — to ensure this pipeline of the future is built differently: powered by renewables, grounded in Indigenous rights and designed to deliver lasting benefits to communities across the country.

Melina Laboucan-Massimo is Lubicon Cree from Northern Alberta, the co-founder of Indigenous Climate Action, Sacred Earth Solar and the inaugural Indigenous fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation. She is the host of a TV series called Power to the People which profiles renewable energy, food security and eco-housing in Indigenous communities across Canada.

© National Observer