Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, the Honourable Stephen Lecce, was in Calgary this week for the huge announcement about the Northern Shield energy corridor, and part of his visit included a sit down with Canada Powered by Women to speak directly about the intersection of energy policy in Central Canada, Western Canada and our nation.
The fireside chat and Q&A were led by CPW Board Chair, Sue Riddell Rose and CEO Tracey Bodnarchuk.
The Minister opened with a reminder of how the Canadian economy has worked for more than a century: Western provinces producing commodities and Eastern provinces turning them into manufactured goods. He said this model still works only if the infrastructure connecting the two can keep up.
“Western commodities and Eastern manufacturing powers have been the promise of Canada for over a century, and we need that to continue,” he said.
Minister Lecce was clear Ontario sees a strong Alberta as central to the federation, our energy security and economic potential.
Canada Powered by Women Board Chair, Sue Riddell Rose, speaks to the audience at a fireside chat with Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, the Honourable Stephen Lecce.
“Premiers from Central Canada coming to this place to make the case that we’re proud of Alberta, and we see a strong Alberta in our federation. I’m very proud to be here,” he said. “Alberta’s values, Ontario values, are Canadian values.”
This is how he articulated the rationale behind the Northern Shield Energy Corridor announced Monday by Premiers Danielle Smith and Doug Ford. This 3,300-kilometre pipeline would move Alberta oil to refineries in Sarnia, ON, entirely within Canada, and reduce the country’s reliance on lines that cross into the United States.
“We are highly exposed and vulnerable to the United States, and I think we all understand it’s an important relationship. Yet, we ought not, as Canadians, be beholden to anyone but ourselves,” he said.
He was equally direct about natural gas, telling the room Ontario introduced an integrated energy plan that has a natural gas policy statement for the first time in the province’s history. That is a decision he said matters because two-thirds of Ontario homes rely on natural gas for heat.
“It’s an irreplaceable, indispensable commodity,” he said.
Addressing that engaged women see a gap in credibility when it comes to getting major energy projects approved, he referenced the Darlington nuclear expansion. Ontario is the only jurisdiction that’s moved from planning to construction on a small modular reactor, with the foundation poured within a year of the construction licence being granted. He added that Ontario-built components are heading to Poland to supply the 24 small modular reactors that country is planning, which also speaks to exporting our expertise and creating revenue.
Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, the Honourable Stephen Lecce, in conversation with Canada Powered by Women.
He closed with a challenge, arguing Canada’s window to lead is open right now and may not be for long, and the country needs to stop thinking in provincial lanes.
“We have to start acting as one nation, leveraging the strengths of our regions to build one economy,” he said. “If we want to do big things at scale, we’re going to have to be fast, we’re going to have to be hawkish, and almost unapologetic in our disposition. I really think it’s our time.”
For engaged women, this comes back to the household in the form of heating bills, grocery costs, jobs and whether the country can fuel itself without waiting on decisions being made in arduous review cycles with unclear requirements and timelines or with decisions coming from outside our country. In 2025, 80 per cent of engaged women told us they want a national energy corridor with a pipeline in it, and Ontario says it’s ready to help build one.
Thank you to Minister Lecce for choosing to meet with Canada Powered by Women and for making the time to hear from engaged women and share where Ontario is heading.