A Canadian Advantage

How Canada can capture low-carbon capital leaving the United States
March, 2026
By Brendan Frank, Travis Southin

In an era of trade wars and geopolitical rupture, Canada has a unique opportunity to build its industrial base by attracting low-carbon investment away from the United States.

While the U.S. has pivoted away from climate policy, it has not entirely turned its back on low-carbon technologies. Released in collaboration with Clean Prosperity, A Canadian Advantage compares the incentives in Canada and the U.S. for investment in 14 low-carbon sectors, including electricity, critical minerals, batteries, low-carbon fuels, and carbon management, and identifies specific steps that Canada should take to sharpen its competitiveness.

If it wants to achieve leadership in strategic sectors, Canada must identify and seize the right opportunities. By applying a focused industrial strategy that prioritizes technologies and projects that maximize value across domestic supply chain, we can create a real Canadian advantage.

About the Author

Brendan Frank

Vice President, Policy

Brendan leads Clean Prosperity’s policy development and analysis, integrating career experience spanning think tanks, academia, market research, and Alberta’s oil and gas sector. A frequent commentator on climate policy and clean tech, he has written extensively on numerous topics including carbon markets, disruptive technologies, and political polarization. Before joining Clean Prosperity, Brendan held roles with Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission and the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, among others.

Brendan holds a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Calgary. Outside of work, you can find him enjoying music, trying a new recipe, or wrangling his toddlers. Brendan has roots in Alberta and Ontario and currently lives in Ottawa.

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Travis Southin, PhD

Future Economy Lead

Travis Southin has deep expertise on the role of innovation and industrial policy in facilitating the transition to a net-zero economy, with a particular focus on scaling Canadian cleantech firms. Prior to joining the Transition Accelerator, he provided analysis and policy recommendations for the Net-Zero Advisory Body.

Travis has worked with James Meadowcroft as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. His research examined the politics of innovation policy and the broader role of the state in facilitating the transition to a net-zero economy in Canada and Australia. Travis completed a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto working with David Wolfe at the Innovation Policy Lab of the Munk School for Global Affairs. His dissertation, titled “Overcoming Barriers to Policy Change: The Politics of Canada’s Innovation Policy,” illuminates the political barriers constraining the Government of Canada’s ability to shift its innovation policy mix away from neutral/horizontal policy instruments, such as research and development tax credits, towards more targeted innovation policy instruments, such as large-scale direct grants, loans, and public procurement.

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Cite as: Frank, B. and Southin, T. (2026). A Canadian Advantage: How Canada can capture low-carbon capital leaving the United States. Clean Prosperity and The Transition Accelerator.