Federal budget sell begins with 2022 climate plans highlighted

The federal budget sell is in full swing.

The prime minister and many members of his cabinet have spread across the country to highlight measures in the fiscal plan, unveiled Thursday. In various cities across Canada, ministers are highlighting a number of the climate measures outlined in Budget 2022.

The fiscal blueprint includes many proposals to transition the country into a green economy, with mandated sales targets for zero-emission vehicles, creating new charging stations in communities, and investing in critical minerals used in green tech.

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In B.C. Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Victoria to highlight efforts related to electric vehicles.

“We’re making them more affordable by direct incentives to families. We’re making them more accessible by increasing the number of charging stations. We’re making sure that industry is offering enough electric vehicles to people.”

Budget 2022 outlines continuing plans in fighting climate change and protecting the environment, providing some “new incentives for the development of clean technologies and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.”

In an effort to get more Canadians behind the wheel of zero-emission vehicles, the budget outlines plans to invest more than $3 billion to make such vehicles more affordable and to build more charging stations across the nation.

The Canadian Growth Fund, meanwhile, is a new program to “help attract tens of billions of dollars in private capital towards building a net-zero economy by 2050.” The Liberals hope the fund will help the country meet its economic policy goals to reduce emissions, diversify the economy, and “support the restructuring of critical supply chains in areas important to Canada’s future prosperity.”

Meanwhile, new National Emissions Reduction Plan added a goal this month that one in five new cars sold by 2026 be zero emissions.

By 2030, the federal government aims to make 60 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Canada zero emission. That’s up from the 50 per cent goal the Liberals set less than a year ago.

While the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have been slamming the budget as unserious and irresponsible, the NDP will support the plan thanks to the supply and confidence agreement it made with the Liberals. The deal will see the New Democrats prop up the minority government so long as action on climate change, housing, and dental care are met.