NDP reacts to national strategy on zero-emission vehicles : “The government must have real targets”

LONGUEUIL - NDP Critic for the Electrification of Transportation, Pierre Nantel, reacted to the Liberal government's intention to develop a national strategy to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles on our roads. While he applauds the development of a national strategy, he is disappointed that the announcement was more of a show than an actual plan.

“For weeks, I have been urging a number of ministers in the Trudeau government during Question Period to address issues of transportation and the need for Canada to implement a national strategy on the matter. I am very happy to see the Liberals listening to us on this file,” said Pierre Nantel. “It’s just too bad that they don’t have any specific objectives.”

The basis of any real strategy is having measurable goals. The government isn’t providing a single figure on the number of zero-emission vehicles it wants to see on our roads in the years to come, nor is there any information on how they intend to increase access to electric vehicles.

"The Liberals say they want to work with the provinces and territories, but rather than approaching them with concrete proposals, they seem to simply want to take credit for the work of other levels of government," added Pierre Nantel.

During the last election campaign Justin Trudeau made a commitment that Canada would set an example by installing charging stations in the parking lots of federal government buildings and adding electric cars to the federal fleet of vehicles. "We are still waiting for them to follow through on these commitments,” concluded the NDP's Critic for the Electrification of Transportation.