Terms of Reference
Objective
The ZEV landscape in Canada has progressed significantly over the last five years. With Canada’s 2030 Emission Reduction Plan having set ambitious ZEV sales/deployment targets, the Government is now firmly in implementation mode with respect to key measures to accelerate ZEV adoption and bolster ZEV-related economic opportunities. Now is an opportune time to institute a ZEV Council, with the objective of working collaboratively to address opportunities and challenges to increase ZEV adoption and inform implementation measures and improve customer experience as a complementary means to ensuring Canada meets its ZEV sales targets.
The ZEV Council will:
- Re-establish an ongoing and collaborative forum for governments and stakeholders to regularly engage on ZEVs;
- Prioritize collaboratively 3-4 topics each year that warrant deeper-dive analysis /discussions into barriers and challenges to implementation; and
- Identify solutions and help inform the implementation of measures for all levels of government.
Scope/Approach
Meeting Canada’s ZEV sales targets and GHG reduction goals will require highly collaborative actions from governments and multiple stakeholders. The ZEV Council is a direct response to stakeholders request for a forum where they can engage all departments simultaneously to advance the ZEV file. As such, this solutions-oriented group of leading experts from federal-provincial-territorial governments, industry and non-governmental organizations, and academia will:
- Identify and explore known barriers and additional challenges (e.g. evolving charging/refueling needs, increasing consumer awareness and confidence, ZEV uptake in rural and northern communities, impact of ZEVs on local electricity distribution networks, ZEV incentive programs);
- Assess the need for revised or additional analysis, RD&D, policy instruments, and/or interventions in the coming years, including tools and projects to further grow public/industry confidence in ZEVs;
- Provide feedback to the federal government on its ZEV projections, methodologies and analyses (e.g. ZEV sales projections, projections for the number of charging stations required);
- Share expertise, data, information, and lessons learned on ZEVs, including national and international trends and developments and GHG reduction forecasts resulting from these actions; and
- Provide advice on how to progress towards Canada’s ZEV sales targets and LDV GHG emission reductions, include analyzing both public and private sector policies and programs needed to achieve them, as well as monitoring key indicators/metrics;
The ZEV Council will typically meet in plenary, however two streams of work may be required, one for light-duty vehicles and one for medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs, to reflect the diversity of stakeholders and issues for each mode.
With the assistance of a 3rd party facilitator, a scoping exercise will take place at the launch of the ZEV Council, and at the beginning of each calendar year thereafter, to collaboratively identify 3-4 topics to be prioritized for year (e.g. addressing equity considerations of the ZEV transition, grid readiness, consumer awareness, vehicle labelling, worker training, etc.). The ZEV Council could convene dedicated working groups to tackle these particular issues, which could include commissioning external reports.
The ZEV Council will not replace but rather complement bilateral or operational meetings with individual stakeholders or groups of stakeholders, or other established association/member consultations.
Frequency
The ZEV Council would be structured to meet quarterly, with potentially more frequent meetings and calls for thematic working groups, as required. The agenda would be proposed by the Government of Canada, in consultation with all members of the ZEV Council.
Governance
The ZEV Council will be chaired by TC’s DG of Environmental Policy, with secretariat functions provided by TC’s ZEV Policy Team. Official membership will be at DG/Director level from TC, ECCC, NRCan, ISED, and CIB, with support from working-level officials. Participation from representatives from PCO, INFC, and FIN may also be warranted to reflect an all-of-government approach towards increasing ZEV adoption. Proceedings of the ZEV Council, including meeting management and agendas, would be developed collaboratively with members.
Working groups should be led by appropriate representatives from government departments and from industry as co-leads. There should be a requirement for each working group to report summary action items and key discussion points to the ZEV council at large, where the ZEV Council acts as a steering committee for the Working groups.
Finally, recommendations/deliverables e.g. new analysis from the ZEV Council will be shared by ZEV Council government representatives with their various Ministers to provide transparency into the barriers facing Canada as we work collectively to achieve a ZEV transition.
Facilitation
The ZEV Council will engage a 3rd party facilitator to help execute meetings, and ensure time and resources are being maximized. It will also produce a forward consultation plan and maintain records of discussion to help all members situate any given event or meeting in the greater ZEV consultation history and outlook.