Regulating Canada’s On-road GHG Emissions

In Canada, the transportation sector accounts for about one quarter of Canada’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is the largest source of GHG emissions in Canada.

As inscribed in the Copenhagen Accord, the Government of Canada has committed to reduce total GHG emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020. To meet this target, the Government of Canada is putting in place a series of initiatives on a sector-by-sector basis and the action the Government of Canada is taking to reduce emissions in the transportation sector is an important step in helping Canada meet its target.

Light-Duty Vehicle Regulations

On October 1, 2010, Environment Canada released its final Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations, which are the first national GHG emission standards in Canadian history. These tough new regulations establish progressively more stringent GHG emission standards for new passenger automobiles and light trucks for the 2011-2016 model years and align with the mandatory national standards of the United States.

Through the implementation of the new standards, it is anticipated that the average GHG emissions from the 2016 Canadian fleet of new cars and light trucks, which account for about 12% of Canada's total GHG emissions, will be reduced by approximately 25 percent from those sold in 2008.

On the same day, Environment Canada also released a Notice of Intent outlining our commitment to continue working with the United States towards the development of tighter standards for light-duty vehicles for the 2017 and later model years.

Heavy-Duty Vehicle Regulations

Building on the successful collaboration between Canada and the United States, on October 25, 2010, Environment Canada released a Regulatory Framework consultation document that outlines the proposed elements of the future regulations to reduce GHG emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles, which account for about six per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.

The Regulatory Framework consultation document provides an opportunity to obtain early views from stakeholders, which will be taken into account in developing proposed regulations which are expected to be available in mid-2011. These regulations will be aligned with those of the United States, while taking into account the safety, competitiveness and any unique characteristics of the Canadian industry, and will take effect beginning with the 2014 model year.

Establishing common North American standards for regulating GHG emissions from vehicles is an important step in the global fight against climate change and the Government of Canada will continue to work with the United States to reduce GHG emissions from the transportation sector.