Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister announcing funding for clean energy projects in Manitoba

Winnipeg, MB - November 9, 2023

Good morning everyone. 

It is so wonderful to be here with our new partners from the province of Manitoba. It is great to see the mayors here, and it is great to see all the hardworking, dedicated people at Manitoba Hydro. 

I know how hard you work. You are so important to the people of Manitoba and to the economic future of Manitoba. The fact that Manitoba has such a clean electrical grid is a huge advantage for this wonderful province today and going forward. And I am really delighted that we are able to invest in it further. 

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are located on Treaty One territory, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibway, OjiCree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation.

I am so happy to be here in Winnipeg today, at Manitoba Hydro, with Premier Wab Kinew and Minister of Finance Adrien Sala to share some really exciting news for the people of Manitoba.

And I do want to start by saying: I had a great first meeting yesterday with the Premier and with Minister Sala. It was really inspiring, and I am tremendously excited about the ways that we are going to be able to work together—the federal government, the province of Manitoba—for the people of Manitoba. 

I am really looking forward to working together to deliver for the people of Manitoba—and I know that the Prime Minister and everyone else across our government is really excited about what is already becoming a very close partnership between the federal government and this fantastic province.

Manitoba is a national leader in renewable energy.

More than 99 per cent of the electricity generated in this province comes from clean energy sources, like hydroelectricity and wind—and that means Manitoba, and everyone here at Manitoba Hydro, is at the vanguard of the monumental global shift happening at this very moment.

The race to build the global clean economy is the most significant economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution. And the clean economy—here in Canada and around the world—will depend almost entirely on clean electricity as businesses look to reduce emissions across their supply chains.

Clean electricity will be absolutely essential for businesses here in Manitoba—and it will be essential for delivering affordable and reliable energy to people across this great province.

And so the importance of clean energy, of clean electricity, the centrality of clean electricity to our economy going forward, is why I am so delighted to be here today to announce the newest investments through our government’s economic plan: over $185 million in federal funding for two essential projects—the Pointe du Bois Renewable Energy Project and the Portage Area Capacity Enhancement Project.

The Pointe du Bois Renewable Energy Project will replace eight hydroelectric generating units and add 52 megawatts to the Manitoba Hydro grid.

And the Portage Area Capacity Enhancement Project will construct a new transmission line in the Portage la Prairie area for Manitoba Hydro.

Together, these two projects will mean cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable energy for thousands and thousands of households and businesses across the province.

Our economic plan is all about making Canada a clean electricity superpower. And we know that Manitoba, the workers, the businesses, and all the people here are already leading the way.

We are going to continue to work with you and be your partner. That is why we made historic investments in clean electricity in our 2023 budget—and it is why we attached labour requirements to our new Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit.

This is the first time in Canadian history that a tax credit is going to mean prevailing union wages for workers and more apprenticeship opportunities being created right here in Manitoba.

Our economic plan is working. A recent report from the OECD found that Canada received the third most direct foreign investment of any country in the OECD in the first half of this year—and that is the total quantum. It is not per capita. 

So, we are really attracting investment in our economic plan, in Canada’s real opportunity to be a clean energy superpower and bring in the jobs and the investments that that results in. 

More importantly, our plan is delivering clean, reliable, and affordable electricity to people here in Manitoba. And it is creating great jobs—great careers—for people right across Manitoba, including great careers at places like Manitoba Hydro.

I am so excited about what the years to come will mean for Manitoba.

Premier Kinew and his team have a committed partner in our federal government. I am delighted about today’s announcement. It is just the first of many, and I am really looking forward to continuing to work with the Province of Manitoba to create great jobs, great careers, and great lives for the people of this wonderful province. 

Thank you very much.