Canada has joined a growing band of countries looking to ban the sale of vehicles equipped with internal-combustion engines.
The current government on Tuesday pledged a goal of having all sales of light-duty vehicles, including pickup trucks, be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Canada's transport sector accounts for roughly 25% of the country's greenhouse emissions.
The 2035 date is five years earlier than the government's previous goal. It's also the same date the United Kingdom targets, though the U.K. plans to ban the sale of non-hybrid vehicles as early as 2030.
While the United States is yet to make a similar pledge, California said last year it would require all light-duty vehicles to produce zero emissions by 2035, and some other states have expressed an interest in similar rules. General Motors early this year also said its full fleet will be electric by 2035.
Canada's government plans to introduce measures to help ease the transition away from internal-combustion power, including developing interim targets aimed at 2025 and 2030.
"Through measures aimed at accelerating the transition to 100% zero-emission vehicles sales, we will continue building a cleaner and more resilient economy, while also creating good jobs and opportunities for all Canadians,” Omar Alghabra, transport minister for Canada, said in a statement.
Specific measures being looked at include infrastructure spending and incentives for electric vehicles. The government also said it will work with manufacturing groups to help with the transition. We've already seen this with Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA), which launched Project Arrow to call on companies in Canada's automotive industry to develop a zero-emission, self-driving vehicle.
It's all part of a nationwide goal to get Canada on a path to net-zero emissions by 2050.