2023 Reports 6 to 10 of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the Parliament of CanadaLargest federal fleets nowhere near decarbonizing their vehicles

Ottawa, 7 November 2023—A report released today by Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry V. DeMarco concludes that National Defence, Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency contributed very little to meeting the government’s target of having 80% zero-emission vehicles in the federal fleet by 2030. Together, these 4 organizations account for more than half the federal fleet—10,580 vehicles out of a total of 17,260.

The audit found that the percentage of zero‑emission vehicles across all 4 organizations stood between 1% and 3% in 2022. These low numbers make it unlikely that Canada will meet the 2030 target, as doing so would involve replacing or converting about 13,000 vehicles by 2030. If progress continues at the current rate, the audit estimates that only 13% of federal government vehicles will be zero emission by 2030.

None of the audited organizations had a strategic approach in place to articulate how they planned to decarbonize their fleets and meet the target. While all had vehicle acquisition or replacement plans, these plans did not include details on how they would meet the 80% target by 2030. Similarly, the 4 organizations’ reporting on their progress toward the target was often incomplete and inconsistent in their departmental sustainable development strategies, despite the requirement under the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.

“With a target date of 2030 and given that the government typically replaces its vehicles on a 7‑year cycle, these organizations must act quickly to develop and implement realistic plans for acquiring zero‑emission vehicles so that the government fleet can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mr. DeMarco.

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The 2023 Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Report 7—Departmental Progress in Implementing Sustainable Development Strategies—Zero Emission Vehicles, is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.

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