Bill C-312: An Act respecting the development of a national renewable energy strategy

Short Title Short title 1 This Act may be cited as the National Renewable Energy Strategy Act . Interpretation Definitions 2 The following definitions apply in this Act. Indigenous governing body  means a council, government or other entity that is authorized to act on behalf of an Indigenous group, community or people that holds rights recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 . ( corps dirigeant autochtone ) Minister  means the Minister of Natural Resources. ( ministre ) renewable energy  means energy that comes from a source that can be naturally replenished or renewed within a human lifespan. ( énergie renouvelable ) National Renewable Energy Strategy Development of national strategy 3 The Minister must, in consultation with the provincial government representatives responsible for energy matters and with Indigenous governing bodies, develop and implement a national strategy to provide that, by December 31, 2030, 100% of electricity generated in Canada must be from renewable energy sources. Objectives of national strategy 4 The national strategy must include measures designed to achieve the following objectives: (a) the initiation in each calendar year of twice as many renewable energy production projects as non-renewable energy production projects; (b) an increase in investment in the research and development of renewable energy technologies; (c) cooperation between the federal government and provincial governments in the establishment of new large-scale public electric utilities; and (d) the creation of a renewable energy economy and renewable energy jobs. Incentives 5 (1) Within one year after the day on which this Act comes into force, the Minister, together with the Minister of Finance, must design and implement incentives to encourage the development of, and investment in, renewable energy projects related to solar, wind, tidal or biomass electricity generation and to encourage homeowners and businesses to retrofit their properties with new or more efficient renewable energy technologies to increase the proportion of electricity used by these properties that is derived from renewable energy sources. Clarification (2) The incentives described in subsection (1) apply solely to the start-up costs of new projects and not to ongoing costs. Reports to Parliament Tabling of national strategy 6 (1) Within two years after the day on which this Act comes into force, the Minister must prepare a report setting out the national strategy and cause it to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after it is completed. Publication (2) The Minister must publish the report on the website of the Department of Natural Resources within 10 days after it has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament. Report 7 Within three years after the report referred to in section 6 has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament and every three years after that, the Minister must, in consultation with the parties referred to in section 3, prepare a report on the effectiveness of the national strategy that sets out the Minister’s conclusions and recommendations, and cause the report to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after the report is completed.