Canada consumes a lot of energy, primarily in transportation. On the whole, our vehicles are larger than we need and, overall, the energy efficiency standards for those vehicles are not extremely stringent.
The same is true of buildings, although there is improvement in this area. The energy efficiency of buildings is improving, but houses are getting bigger and bigger. In short, energy efficiency is higher per square foot, but our houses have more square feet. As a result, our energy consumption is rising steadily whereas, technically, we have the means to reduce consumption.
Our transportation systems consume a great deal of energy, as compared to best practices around the world. There could be less congestion and greater mobility for Canadian society, and at a lower cost.