Energy security for Canada: A comparison of the self-sufficiency and continental strategies

While the topic of ‘energy security’ has attracted considerable public attention in recent times, the various issues of relevance have been poorly conceptualized within a policy framework for the Canadian people. Arguably, Canada has lacked an energy security strategy in recent years even as the country’s energy security environment has been rapidly changing. This study takes a strategic view of energy security in the sense that it treats the issue as a matter of national interest. Paradoxically, by relying on the analysis of sectoral developments over the last two decades, it is hypothesized that energy ‘self-sufficiency’ -- even if not impractical -- has severe and sobering implications for Canada’s intrinsic national interests. This study examines the long-standing chasm between the ‘continental’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ perspectives against updated criteria for assessing Canada’s current energy security situation.