OTTAWA — Isabelle Turcotte, interim director, federal policy at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to Minister McKenna’s announcement of new heavy-duty vehicle regulations:

“Today’s announcement shows that Canada has taken another step in implementing the country’s climate action plan — the Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

“Last month, the Government of Canada released updated “Phase 2” GHG standards for heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) produced in model years 2021-2027, building on standards introduced in 2013 for model years 2014-2018. Today’s announcement highlights these standards for HDVs, engines and trailers. The updated regulations also introduce standards for truck trailers as of January 1, 2020, with increases in stringency until 2027. An efficiently designed trailer can lower GHG emissions, air pollution, and the fuel consumption of the trucks that haul them.

"By setting improved standards and incentivizing the uptake of more effective vehicle emission technologies, these regulations will increase the performance of both trucks and trailers, making the freight industry more economically efficient and less polluting — a clear win-win for the environment and the economy.  

“As transportation is responsible for nearly a quarter of Canada’s total emissions, with freight contributing nearly 10 per cent of national emissions, this action is crucial for progress in the transportation sector. Since 1990, emissions from HDVs have increased by 205%, and emissions from the freight sector are expected to bypass emissions from passenger vehicles by 2030 nationally. Since there have been recent strides in efficiency gains for passenger vehicles, equal or greater efforts to reduce emissions from the freight sector are essential to avoid cancelling out progress made on the passenger side. Progress like today’s announcement is fundamental to meeting our 2030 Paris target and to the long-term decarbonization of the transport sector.”

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Kelly O’Connor 
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416-220-8804