In our view, the measures proposed in the Major Projects Discussion Paper go beyond effective coordination and reduction of genuine redundancies. In some cases, they go far beyond the scope of what is necessary to balance the competing priorities that the Government of Canada is facing today. Taken as a whole and taken to their limits, the reforms proposed in the Discussion Paper risk doing significant damage to federal reconciliation efforts, Indigenous rights recognition, environmental protections, protections for human health and the right to a healthy environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and democratic decision-making and accountability.

While each of the AOSWC partners works on several issues related to electrification, this position paper on the National Strategy focuses on federal funding and financing commitments and other federal actions that are urgently needed to enable a successful offshore wind industry in Atlantic Canada.

In recent months, we have received inquiries from individual community members, community groups, and environmental organizations in Nova Scotia concerning the procurement process that the Nova Scotia Independent Energy System Operator (“NS IESO”) initiated in autumn 2025 to seek the construction of one or two fast-acting power generation facilities in Pictou County.