Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the case for electric vehicles to Victoria, days after the federal government pledged millions for zero-emissions vehicles and charging infrastructure.
“We know we need to cut emissions,” he said Monday at an outdoor news conference at Royal Roads University.
“The investment in this budget is going to allow for thousands more [charging stations],” Trudeau said, largely framing his comments around personal vehicles.
Federal investments will include commercial vehicles as well.
The 2022 budget includes $547.5 million for a new Transport Canada purchase incentive program for medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs. Natural Resources Canada’s Green Freight Assessment Program – renamed the Green Freight Program – will see $199.6 million over five years to help decarbonize vehicles already on the road.
The Canada Infrastructure Bank will also invest $500 million in large-scale urban and commercial ZEV charging and refueling infrastructure. And over the next five years, another $400 million will be used by Natural Resources Canada to help deploy ZEV charging infrastructure in sub-urban and remote communities.
Trudeau also said Canada must embark on more electrification initiatives, including the possibility of increased nuclear power.
“It’s very clear, first of all, that we need to reduce our emissions, we need to reduce our dependence on oil and gas,” he said. “If we didn’t already know that, the conflict in Ukraine right now with Russia’s illegal invasion is emphasizing just how much we need to be able to find cleaner sources of energy for our communities, for our country.”
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