Canada’s Opportunity Playbook updates and expands on the Transition Accelerator’s 2021 Pathways to Net-Zero report, looking across 14 sectors that collectively represent over one third of the country’s GDP and more than 90% of its emissions. It assesses 160+ technologies across industries from personal transportation to mining, agriculture, and oil and gas to identify which can be deployed today, which need targeted support, and which are ready to be ruled out.
Along with the accompanying interactive web tool, the Playbook is the most comprehensive available resource for understanding Canada’s pathways to a clean, competitive economy. Winning in this transition means prioritizing sectors that unlock broader transformation, moving fast where the economics are compelling, and avoiding spending scarce political and financial capital on battles that can’t yet be won. The Playbook helps make those pathways clear.
For too long, Canada’s approach to the energy transition has focused on managing the old energy system — but the energy transition is a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity, not a pollution control problem. Canada has the resources and the talent to compete in emerging global industries. It’s time to focus on building the new.
Don’t need the full report? Download individual sections:
- Part I: Understanding System Transitions
- Part II: Pathway Assessments
Key insights from this report:
- Canada should build the new, not manage the old. Canada’s transition strategy has been defined by winding down the existing energy system. The bigger opportunity lies in investing in the sectors and technologies that will drive clean growth.
- Strategic focus beats spreading resources thin. Acting strategically means prioritizing sectors that unlock broader transformation, moving fast where the economics are compelling, and avoiding spending scarce political and financial capital on battles that can’t yet be won.
- Electricity is the foundation. A modern electricity system underpins the new energy economy. Canada needs a grid built to meet rising demand before other sectors can fully transform.
- Buildings and personal mobility are ready now. Both sectors have clear, proven solutions with compelling economics. These are where Canada should act first.
- There is more certainty than uncertainty. We can’t know the exact shape of the world’s future energy system, but we know enough to see which pathways are most promising. The Playbook gives each option a clear signal: ready to deploy, worth incubating, or best left aside.
- The prize is significant. A focused approach positions Canada to compete for approximately $600 billion in annual clean energy export opportunities by 2035, in high-value sectors like battery materials, low-carbon aluminum, critical mineral processing, and EV manufacturing.
