Good afternoon.
I would like to thank the members of the Standing Committee on Finance for considering our recommendations on the electrification of the transportation sector in advance of the 2022 budget.
My name is Daniel Breton, and I am the president and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada.
Founded in 2006, Electric Mobility Canada is one of the world's first organizations dedicated to advancing transportation electrification. Our members range from light-duty, mid-size, heavy-duty and off-road vehicle manufacturers, electric utilities, charging infrastructure suppliers, mining companies and information technology firms to research centres, cities, universities, fleet managers, unions and environmental non-governmental organizations.
Electric Mobility Canada is the national voice for the electrification of the transportation sector.
There are three fundamental reasons Canada should support the development of the transportation electrification industry—air pollution and health, climate change, and the economy.
For example, according to the 2021 report on the impact of air pollution, Health Canada estimates that 15,300 deaths per year can be attributed to air pollution in Canada. That's eight times the death toll from motor vehicle accidents. The total annual economic cost of air pollution is estimated at $120 billion a year, most of it coming from transportation and oil and gas.
Investing in electric mobility can therefore help save thousands of Canadian lives and billions of dollars.
On August 6, 2021, we sent a series of 26 pre-budget recommendations for 2022, with budget proposals that can be found on the finance committee website. Some of these recommendations have been updated in our fall document, known as the “2030 EV Action Plan for Canada”. These recommendations fall under the following six pillars.
Pillar one, on light-duty EV consumer adoption, we propose policy solutions that overcome barriers to consumer EV adoption, with a focus on affordability, value, education and awareness, as well as new polluter-pay funding mechanisms to support their implementation.
Pillar two, on medium, heavy-duty, and off-road fleet electrification, we present ideas and solutions to overcome and address the barriers in the fleet and non-passenger segment, including for affordability, the transition of electric public transit and school bus fleets, and actions that government can take at federally regulated facilities. Medium, Heavy-duty and off-road companies such as Nova Bus, New Flyer, Lion Electric, Girardin, Taïga, Dana and BYD are now making electric buses, school buses, trucks or snowmobiles in Canada, and there is great potential for job creation.
Pillar three, on the national EV Infrastructure deployment plan, transitioning to electric mobility requires a new way of thinking about the fuelling infrastructure of the future. We propose solutions to overcome the challenges of charging in multi-unit buildings, remote areas, highway-side, and on public land.
Pillar four, on electric vehicle strategy and EV regulation, achieving results will require coordination and strategy, including a focus on overcoming challenges of vehicle availability and supply. We also need to ensure that no Canadians are left behind, whether they live in rural or indigenous communities.
Pillar five focuses on domestic EV jobs and manufacturing capacity. A development and investment attraction strategy, focused R and D efforts, and action to protect Canadian industry and workers from foreign buy-domestic rules will help ensure a prosperous transition to an electric mobility economy in Canada.
Finally, pillar six revolves around federal leadership. The government can and should lead by example and make use of its own facilities, financial capacity and internal process to help accelerate the transition to electric mobility.
The future of mobility is electric, whether light-duty, mid-size, heavy-duty or off-road vehicles. The Government of Canada knows it, the industry knows it and scientists know it. That is why Canada and all the members that make up its industrial cluster need to work together on a visionary plan to ensure a clean and prosperous future.
Thank you.