Canadaās Energy Ambition: From Market Hostage to Global Player
This week, Jackie and Peter discuss Peterās recent writing, including his article in The Hub titled āIncreasing Canadaās Energy Ambition is an Economic and Geopolitical Imperativeā as well as two other pieces, āGeoeconomics and State Capitalismā and āThe Cost of Being a Market Hostage.āĀ Peter argues that Canada must raise its level of ambition to compete in todayās geoeconomic and geopolitical environmentāone where markets are shaped less by free trade and more by state power, economic coercion, and the strategic use of industries to advance geopolitical objectives. In this new order, the effects of tariffs, sanctions, control of trade routes, and dominance over critical resources are felt daily on the global stage.Ā Yet Canada is not showing up as a true contender. The country remains passive, heavily dependent on the United States for oil and gas exports, at significant cost to the economy. Peter outlines four levels of ambition that Canada could pursue. At the lowest level, the nation remains a āmarket hostage,ā reflecting its current state in oil and gas. A modest step up would be the role of ācompetitor,ā in which new tidewater export capacity expands Canadaās reach. Moving further, Canada could become a ānegotiator,ā able to leverage energy exports as a bargaining chip in international relations. At the highest level, Canada could aspire to be an āaggressor,ā a country that wields genuine market power in vital resourcesāsimilar to the way China has achieved influence through state control of strategic industries.Ā Content referenced in this podcast:The Hub.ca, āIncreasing Canadaās energy ambition is an economic and geopolitical imperativeā (September 9, 2025)Ā Studio.Energy, āGeoeconomics and State Capitalismā and āThe Cost of Being a Market Hostageā (September 8, 2025)Ā CTV News, āHereās what the parliamentary budget officer is warning of ahead of the budgetā (September 28, 2025)Ā CBC News, āCanada's GDP rebounds in July after contracting for 3 monthsā (September 26, 2025)Ā WSJ āTrump Takes Aim at Chip Makers With New Plan to Throttle Importsā (September 26, 2025)Ā Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/Ā Check us out on social media:Ā X (Twitter): @arcenergyinstLinkedIn: @ARC Energy Research InstituteĀ Subscribe to ARC Energy Ideas PodcastApple PodcastsAmazon MusicSpotify