The Government of Canada’s Clean Transportation initiatives will work to improve air quality and address climate change by reducing transportation-related emissions and encouraging the uptake of clean technologies and innovations.
As required by the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was conducted for this funding initiative in order to identify and assess the environmental effects that could arise from implementing the proposal. The SEA concluded that these initiatives would result in important positive environmental effects by helping to reduce the consequences and impacts of climate altering greenhouses gases and air pollutants harmful to both environmental and human health.
Funding for the Clean Transportation initiatives will support proposed regulations, programs, and other measures to address air emissions, including greenhouse gases ( GHG s) and air pollutants, from the domestic and the international transportation sectors operating in Canada. Funding for the initiatives will also support relevant policy, monitoring and reporting, and research activities.
The regulations and other control measures will limit emissions of GHG s and air pollutants. These measures are expected to have a measurable positive effect on the natural environment and human health.
Clean Transportation initiatives will contribute to emission reductions by providing targeted incentives to address financial barriers, as well as information to address knowledge gaps, to encourage the uptake of advanced clean technologies and fuel-efficient practices. It will also provide foundational knowledge necessary to develop and implement regulations; provide assessments and reports on the effectiveness of measures; and improve knowledge about the current and projected levels of emissions.
To report on activities and results, Transport Canada and Environment Canada will incorporate Clean Transportation activities funding into their Program Alignment Architecture and performance measurement frameworks. It will account for their initiatives through their respective Departmental Plans and Departmental Performance Reports. Progress towards Government of Canada priorities for clean air and climate change will be communicated through these reports, including Canada’s Performance Report.
The SEA also determined that the Clean Transportation initiatives will support achievement of the following Canadian Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) goals and targets:
Goal 1: Climate Change - Reduce levels of GHG emissions to mitigate the severity and unavoidable impacts of climate change.
Target 1.1: Climate Change Mitigation - Relative to 2005 emission levels, reduce Canada's total GHG emissions 17% by 2020.
Goal 2: Air Pollution - Minimize the threats to air quality so that the air Canadians breathe is clean and supports healthy ecosystems.
Target 2.1: Air pollutants - Reduce air pollutants in order to maintain or improve air quality across the country and achieve the emission targets which are currently under development in consultations with provinces and stakeholders.
These results will be achieved by reducing emissions of GHG s and air pollutants from the transportation sector while maintaining its competitiveness, thereby improving air quality, addressing climate change, and encouraging the uptake of clean technologies and innovations.