Reject 30-year export licence
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to reject Powell River Energy Inc.'s application for a 30‑year electricity export licence to the United States because it would set a precedent and harm local economic development. The government responds that Natural Resources Canada cannot comment while the independent Canada Energy Regulator assesses the application.
Why we would sign this petition
- Rejecting the licence preserves the ability to use local electricity for domestic needs and economic development, protecting vulnerable rural communities from long-term loss of resources.
- Denying a 30‑year licence avoids creating an unprecedented legal and regulatory precedent for private long-term exports to foreign grids.
- Refusing the licence would address concerns about foreign corporate ownership and economic leakage, keeping more benefits for Canadian communities and taxpayers.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- The application is under assessment by an independent regulator, so the decision is best made following that technical review rather than a preemptive political refusal.
- An outright refusal could undermine investment certainty and cross‑border trade; imposing conditions or a shorter licence might better balance competing interests.
- Concerns about economic leakage and ownership could be addressed via licence conditions, revenue‑sharing or domestic policy measures instead of categorical denial.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following: 1. That Powell River Energy Inc. (PREI), whose dams once powered local industry, has applied for a thirty-year electricity export licence to send power to the United States of America; 2. That approval of this licence would set a dangerous precedent, as such a long-term licence has never been granted to a private corporation intending to sell its power to foreign electrical grids; 3. That locking in exports until 2055 would prevent Canadians from making future use of these resources to meet domestic energy demand or support economic development, having a particularly negative impact on rural communities like Powell River that are struggling to recover from the loss of industry; 4. That the proposed licence enables economic leakage which deprives Canadians of the benefits garnered from the sale of exported electricity, given that PREI's parent company, Brookfield Renewable Partners, is a Bermuda-based limited partnership. Therefore, we, the undersigned, call upon the Government of Canada to: reject Powell River Energy Inc.'s application for a thirty-year export licence, as it is not in the national interest, sets a harmful precedent, undermines economic development particularly in rural and Indigenous communities, and fails to ensure Canadian resources benefit Canadian communities and taxpayers.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Signed by The Honourable Tim Hodgson, P.C., M.P. Natural Resources Canada acknowledges the concerns presented in the Petition to the House of Commons. As this matter is currently before the independent Canada Energy Regulator Commission for assessment, Natural Resources Canada cannot comment at this time.