OTTAWA, ON – Carbon Removal Canada today welcomed the Government of Canada’s release of Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy, commending Prime Minister Carney and Minister Hodgson for their vision of a strong, electrified Canadian economy built on clean, affordable, and reliable power.

“This strategy is a serious plan for a serious moment,” said Na’im Merchant, Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada. “Canada is right to go big on electricity. Renewable energy is fundamental to a net-zero future, and a cleaner, stronger grid creates the conditions for further international investment in Canada’s carbon removal sector.”

Carbon Removal Canada also pointed to an immediate opportunity within the strategy’s ambition: bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). This carbon removal technology uses waste from our forestry and agricultural industries to permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere, while generating clean energy. Provinces like Saskatchewan and Alberta can use their vast biomass resources to significantly lower grid emissions.

“BECCS is not a future technology. It is a shovel-ready solution that turns Canada’s biomass advantage into a clean energy and carbon removal advantage,” said Merchant. “More than 11 megatonnes of carbon removal capacity in planned projects are sitting on the sidelines in Canada right now, ready to be deployed. A dedicated demonstration fund would change that.”

Carbon Removal Canada’s new economic research shows that achieving net-zero with a strong carbon removal sector produces an economy that is $78 billion larger, reduces the cost of reaching net-zero significantly, and begins generating savings as early as 2035. Carbon removal can support 300,000 jobs across critical sectors and build supply chains with deep Canadian roots.

“We need an all-of-the-above approach to the defining economic and climate challenges ahead,” said Merchant. “Building Canadian sectors, creating Canadian jobs, making Canadian supply chains more resilient. That is exactly what the carbon removal sector is doing. We look forward to working with the government to ensure carbon removal is central to Canada’s climate competitiveness, today and tomorrow.”