An Act to establish a national strategy to end energy poverty

This bill requires the federal Minister of the Environment, working with other ministers, to create a national strategy aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating "energy poverty" — defined as a household being unable, or at serious risk of being unable, to access the energy services needed for health, comfort, safety and participation in society. The strategy must set national measurements for energy poverty, establish a national target with interim milestones, identify ways to help affected households (such as energy efficiency upgrades, affordability supports and consumer protections), promote transparency around building energy costs and performance, and specifically address the situations of renters, Indigenous communities, and northern/remote communities. Developing the strategy requires consultation with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, utility companies, housing providers, consumer advocates, health experts, and people with lived experience of energy poverty.

The bill sets deadlines for action: the Minister must table the completed strategy in Parliament within two years of the law taking effect, and publish it online shortly after. Follow-up reports assessing how well the strategy is being implemented and whether it's working must then be produced two years later, and every five years after that, with each report tabled in Parliament and posted publicly.

Finally, the bill requires the Minister to create an advisory council of up to 15 unpaid members — drawn from governments, Indigenous organizations, industry, labour, academia and people who have experienced energy poverty — to give advice on developing, carrying out, and evaluating the strategy. A summary of the council's advice must be published online each year.

This bill requires the Minister of the Environment to develop a national strategy to end energy poverty, report on it to Parliament, and create an advisory council to guide it.

• Strategy content — the Minister must set national metrics, targets (including interim targets), and measures covering affordability, housing energy performance, and coordination with provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous governing bodies; the specific metrics, targets and measures are not defined in the bill and are left to the Minister to develop.
• Advisory council — the Minister establishes this body and appoints up to 15 members and the chair, each serving terms of up to three years "during pleasure" (removable at the Minister's discretion), renewable without limit; members serve without pay.
• Who the Minister must consult — provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous governing bodies and organizations, utility companies and public authorities, housing providers, consumer advocates, health experts, people with lived experience of energy poverty, the advisory council, and "anyone else whom the Minister considers appropriate," giving the Minister discretion over the final scope of consultation.
• Reporting obligations — the Minister must table the strategy in Parliament within two years of royal assent, publish it online within 10 days of tabling, and produce follow-up implementation/evaluation reports within two years after that and every five years thereafter, also tabled and published; these reports are tabled but not subject to a vote.
• Transparency on advice — the Minister must publish an annual public summary of the council's advice and recommendations, but the bill does not require the Minister to act on that advice.
• No enforcement mechanism — the bill creates no penalties, inspection powers or compliance mechanisms for failure to meet targets or deadlines, and no sunset clause ends the reporting obligations.