A Senate bill is asking the federal government to establish a national strategy to address energy poverty across Canada, months after the federal government unveiled its national electricity strategy. 

Bill S-251, introduced by Independent Sen. Mary Coyle, would require the federal government to develop a national strategy aimed at significantly reducing energy poverty in the near term and ultimately eliminating it.

“There really isn’t a coherent, comprehensive strategy that identifies, defines, really digs into what that problem of energy poverty looks like,” Coyle said in an interview with iPolitics. 

The bill defines energy poverty as a household being unable to access the energy needed to maintain adequate health, comfort, safety and participation in society. It would establish national targets, an advisory council and reporting requirements intended to measure the government’s progress. 

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The push comes as Ottawa prepares for major expansion of Canada’s electricity system. Under the federal government’s “Powering Canada Strong” strategy, it estimates the country will need roughly twice as much electricity by 2050, as demand grows from electrification, industry and AI data centres. 

Ottawa says the transition should ultimately make energy more affordable for most households, but it also raises questions whether those already struggling to meet their energy needs will share in those savings. 

“When the Electricity Strategy was announced… one of the goals and expectations of that strategy is to bring down energy costs for 70 per cent of Canada’s population,” Coyle said. 

“Let’s make sure that within that 70 per cent who are going to benefit from the electricity strategy… that those are going to be those people who are experiencing energy poverty,” she added. 

The bill itself would not fund new retrofits or directly lower household energy bills, instead Coyle said it would set an overarching goal to help guide existing programs, while holding the federal government accountable for their results. 

Currently, nearly two million Canadian households continue to experience energy poverty, according to Efficiency Canada. 

Emilie Grenier, a spokesperson for the group, said establishing a national definition is an important part of that effort.   

“It allows for a broader interpretation of what energy poverty could look like,” Grenier said in an interview with iPolitics. 

Grenier said definitions vary between provinces, with some relying on whether a household spends more than six or 10 per cent of its after-tax income on energy. 

S-251 instead proposes a broader definition based on whether households can access the energy services they need, potentially capturing forms of energy hardship that spending thresholds alone may miss. 

Fragmented programs 

Yasmin Abraham, President and co-founder of Kambo Energy Group, an organization that works on delivering community, energy and affordability with vulnerable communities, said Canada already has programs aimed at helping lower-income households reduce their energy costs, but those efforts remain “fragmented” across the country. 

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“What’s happening in B.C. is very different from across the country,” Abraham said, pointing to differences in provincial electricity systems, fuel costs, climates and housing needs. 

For a lot of households that Kambo works with, Abraham added that energy poverty can mean living in homes they cannot afford to heat in the winter or cool in the summer. 

“You can’t be an energy superpower while you still have 2 million people who can’t afford to heat or cool their homes,” Abraham said.