The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, recently made public comments stating that the U.S. election results will not impact Canada’s commitment to implementing an ambitious climate reduction plan.
In response, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is again asking the Government of Canada to continue to proceed with caution while waiting to see how the U.S. EPA proceeds on this issue before hastily implementing Canadian GHG emissions regulations for heavy trucks in Canada.
In October, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) held its initial stakeholder briefing around the implementation of more stringent GHG and air pollutant standards for on-road vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks under GHG Phase 3 requirements in Canada. During the discussion, ECCC officials indicated that their intent was to broadly align with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) new emission regulations, which have come under much debate and scrutiny by stakeholders in the U.S. for not being achievable or operationally feasible, amongst other concerns.
ECCC also stated it continues to determine the feasibility of U.S. EPA’s rules and their applicability within the Canadian context, while aiming to be “technology neutral” in the process. The Alliance believes that moving forward with Canada’s regulations, without receiving clarity on how the new U.S. administration will deal with the current regulations would not be sensible. This approach would also go against the federal government’s commitment to taking a more gradual and collaborative approach to emissions reductions in the heavy truck sector.
In recent correspondence to the CTA from Minister Guilbeault in response to CTA’s decarbonization white paper outlining the realities and challenges facing fleets in the trucking sector, he indicated that CTA’s report was timely as ECCC continues to assess the U.S. EPA final rule. The Minister also indicated that decarbonization in the trucking sector will continue to require significant work, including technological innovation:
“Environment and Climate Change Canada recognizes that innovation and much more action are required to successfully decarbonize the heavy-duty vehicle sector and overcome key barriers, such as the buildout of charging and refuelling infrastructure.”
Similar comments were also previously echoed by the Government of Canada in a letter to CTA from previous Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, who stated that:
“Transitioning Canada’s fleet towards zero emission solutions will take time, require a strong collaboration between government and industry to address potential challenges and opportunities, and that “one size does not fit all” with respect to the diversity and complexity of Canadian trucking operations…”
The CTA has remained steadfast in its feedback to the Government of Canada that the trucking sector will remain supportive of reducing emissions from our industry, but the realities around decarbonization in the heavy truck sector must be at the forefront of the conversation. This includes the need to take incremental steps forward, ensure technology is operationally feasible, and implement targets that are achievable within the Canadian context, and other considerations.
“The Government of Canada has continuously reiterated they understand the challenges of shifting towards zero-emission alternatives in the heavy truck sector, and we remain confident this mutual understanding and commitment will be recognized as we move forward,” says Stephen Laskowski, President, CTA.
“Any decisions to proceed unilaterally in the absence of U.S EPA GHG rules remaining in place, would put Canadian trucking operators and equipment manufacturers at a significant competitive disadvantage,” adds Laskowski. “Canada needs to work with the Trump administration to understand how it will approach heavy duty truck emission regulation in the US.”
ECCC has indicated that pre-consultations on proposed GHG emissions regulations will continue to occur between now and until winter 2025, with proposed rules published in Canada Gazette Part I in the spring 2025.