Britain needs energy. Canada has energy. Why can't we work together and dream big?
Tom Tugendhat is a member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and a former security minister.
The King of Canada's first Speech from the Throne last week made two things clear: First, those who moved to the true north and stayed loyal to the Crown are still strong – and free to choose their own path; and second, no two countries could be closer than the United Kingdom and Canada.
For centuries, we have stood together in peace and in war, in economic expansion and in political transformation. We're not just a historic alliance with a symbolic bond of monarchy; we're bound by mutual sacrifice and a shared vision of the future.
Today, the world is making clear why that connection matters to us both.
In Britain, shortsighted decisions have left our homes and businesses more exposed to energy instability, while on the Canadian side, the Prime Minister has made clear there are good reasons to question the reliability of the country's most important energy partner. As Canada's new Energy Minister, Tim Hodgson, put it in Calgary: 'It's high time to trade more with people who share our values – not just our border.'
No country fits that description better than Britain – and we need the same.
More infrastructure needed to boost energy security in Eastern Canada, Hodgson says
Even with the oil and gas reserves of the North Sea, Britain's energy position is more fragile than many realize. Despite the rhetoric of decoupling and the transition to green energy, Europe remains bound to unstable energy flows, and Britain is not immune.
At the same time, the North Sea is fuelling less and less of our economy, as excessive taxation and long-term decline are restricting output, while renewables are a long way from fully replacing carbon-based energy.
The result is that Britain, a country that once powered the world, is now looking at a future dependent on regimes that don't share our values – and the price we're paying is huge. British manufacturers now face industrial energy costs nearly three times those of their U.S. competitors and more than 50 per cent higher than those in France, a crippling impact on our competitiveness. The costs push businesses out of Britain, leaving us reliant not just on energy supplies from foreign countries – often with authoritarian governments – but also their manufactured goods.
This isn't just about economics, it is about sovereignty.
No country that prizes its independence should accept that, but it's not like we don't have a choice. Canada offers Britain a better path – one that also gives Canadians a choice.
Alberta has the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves, and by 2030 Canada's oil sands will produce nearly four million barrels a day. Most of that is slated to cross the southern border.
But Canada offers not just volume but reliability. Alberta's energy is governed by the rule of law. It is extracted by workers who are paid fair wages under transparent environmental rules. It is not subject to the whims of oligarchs, mullahs or party bosses. It is democratic power, energy we can trust.
Britain can open up new markets and be an even more important partner for Canada. Quebec's position on the Atlantic, with about a fifth of the country's gas reserves, could go beyond its famed hydropower and supply our islands and Europe, reducing the continent's dependence on Russia, the Middle East and coal.
Together, Canada and the United Kingdom can make each other stronger. But it does not stop there. Bringing in Australia and New Zealand, we could create a CANZUK energy framework.
CANZUK countries have a combined GDP of about $7.5-trillion. That's nearly double the GDP of Japan and, though smaller than the European Union's $19.4-trillion, is a democratic counterweight with the potential to lead.
Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand share a monarch, common law and similar approaches to trade and regulation. What distinguishes us is largely administrative: visas, regulations and trade barriers.
These are not problems of culture or principle. They are challenges of will. These obstacles should be footnotes, not strategic barriers. It's important that we resolve to fix them, starting with the mutually critical domain of energy.
Canada's oil and gas can meet Britain's needs as we shift away from existing supplies. Australian uranium can power a nuclear revival, while New Zealand's renewable innovations can accelerate the clean transition. In return, Britain can provide financing, engineering and reach to speed outreach beyond the alliance. The free movement of skilled workers would see the benefits of collaboration multiply: Aberdeen's engineers in Alberta, Canadian experts in British nuclear, Australian scientists shaping clean fuel strategies across the network.
This is not just trade. It is sovereignty through solidarity and independence through energy. For Canada, having options other than the United States protects its sovereignty and strengthens its negotiating position with its neighbour.
King Charles spoke to Canada's strength and freedom and to the family of nations that has stood strong through history's greatest tests. Now, as the democratic world faces a new challenge of instability and economic coercion, the ties that bind us must again become instruments of strategic strength.
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