Market Crash Plan: 3 Canadian Stocks I’d Want on My Watchlist

A market crash can turn even calm investors jumpy. Prices fall fast. Headlines get loud. Good businesses can get tossed out with weak ones. That’s why a watchlist matters before panic starts. It gives investors a plan, not a guess.

For me, a crash watchlist should start with companies people still need when confidence drops. Electricity, gas, and regulated utility services fit that bill. Emera (TSX: EMA), Canadian Utilities (TSX: CU), and Fortis (TSX: FTS) therefore all deserve a spot on a buy list if the market gives investors a better price.

EMA

Emera stock combines defensive utility demand with a cleaner balance-sheet story. The company owns regulated electric and gas assets across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, with Tampa Electric and Nova Scotia Power among its key holdings. Customers still need power during recessions, and regulators usually allow utilities to earn returns on approved investments.

The recent numbers help the case. In the first quarter of 2026, Emera stock delivered adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.37, up 7% from last year. It also deployed more than $870 million of its $4 billion 2026 capital plan, showing utility growth often comes from building and upgrading essential infrastructure.

The watchlist appeal comes from income and stability. Emera’s quarterly dividend sits at $0.7325 per share, giving investors a sizeable stream of cash while they wait yielding 4% at writing. The risk, of course, comes from debt, interest rates, and regulatory pressure. Utilities need capital, and higher borrowing costs can squeeze returns. Still, a lower share price could make that income harder to ignore.

CU

Canadian Utilities brings a different kind of calm. It operates through ATCO-linked energy infrastructure, with electricity and natural gas transmission and distribution assets in Canada and Australia. This isn’t the kind of stock investors buy for fireworks, but because its business sits close to the backbone of daily life.

That’s useful in a crash. In the first quarter of 2026, Canadian Utilities posted adjusted earnings of $242 million, or $0.89 per share, up from $232 million, or $0.85 per share, a year earlier. It also invested $353 million in capital spending, with 94% directed to regulated utilities.

The dividend story adds the wow factor. Canadian Utilities declared a quarterly dividend of $0.4623 per share, or $1.85 annualized yielding 3.8%. The company has one of the longest dividend-growth records in Canada, and that kind of consistency can matter when the market feels broken. The risk comes from project costs, regulation, and a slower-growth profile. Investors shouldn’t expect a sudden surge, but during a sell-off, they shouldn’t see a plunge either.

FTS

Fortis may be the cleanest crash-plan stock of the three. It owns regulated electric and gas utilities across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Its portfolio spreads risk across many regions, which can help smooth out earnings when one market faces pressure.

The first-quarter 2026 update showed why investors often treat Fortis like a core holding. Net earnings came in at $501 million, or $0.99 per share. The company also invested about $1.4 billion during the quarter and kept its $28.8 billion five-year capital plan on track. That plan should lift the rate base from $42.4 billion in 2025 to $57.9 billion by 2030.

Fortis also guides for 4% to 6% annual dividend growth through 2030. That doesn’t make it risk-free as rising rates, construction costs, and regulatory decisions can still weigh on results. Yet Fortis gives investors something rare during market chaos: visibility. And that stable 3.3% dividend yield doesn’t hurt either.

Bottom line

A crash doesn’t make every stock a bargain. Some cheap stocks deserve to stay cheap, but Emera stock, Canadian Utilities, and Fortis all offer essential services, real dividends, and long investment runways. In fact, here’s what $7,000 could bring in from each.

I wouldn’t rush into all three at any price. I would keep them close, as the next sell-off could turn steady utilities into timely opportunities for patient investors watching quality closely.