Updated Greening Government Strategy 2024

The Government of Canada is leading by example in the fight against climate change through the Greening Government Strategy (GGS). This strategy sets targets to reduce emissions from the federal government’s real property and conventional fleet operations by 40% by 2025 and achieve net-zero by 2050.

The GGS includes commitments to 4 key areas:

• Real property
• Procurement of goods and services
• Mobility and fleets
• Climate-resilient services and activities

What’s new?

The GGS has been updated to enhance specific targets and better capture the federal footprint. The updates include:

• expecting Crown corporations to align their operations with the GGS
• strengthening commitments to decarbonize real property, fleet and procurement
• establishing new interim targets for the National Safety and Security Fleet
• accelerating climate resilience commitments to address the increasing impacts of climate change on critical federal assets, operations and activities by 2035

Key focus areas:

Real property

• Real property portfolio plans will now be reviewed every 5 years, and updated if necessary, towards net-zero emissions and climate resilience.
• Critical assets are assessed for climate risk as soon as possible (and no later than 2030), and measures to reduce these risks are implemented no later than 2035.
• All new builds will require the incorporation of adaptation measures to reduce significant risks identified in their climate change risk assessments.
• All new buildings will have net-zero emissions unless a GHG life cycle cost analysis indicates net-zero-emissions-ready construction. What this means is that these buildings could operate as net-zero-emissions buildings in the future. Details like location design, construction and operations that minimize the impacts of a changing climate; highly energy-efficient and powered from on-site and/or off-site clean energy sources.
• Major building retrofits will require the submission of a life-cycle cost analysis, including using a shadow price of carbon of $300/tonne.
• All new buildings and major retrofits incorporating parking facilities for federal fleet vehicles must include provisions for electric vehicle (EV) readiness.
• The total stock of refrigerants in large systems and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from significant releases will be tracked and disclosed by 2025.
• Starting in 2025, all lease transactions will request and prioritize net-zero-emissions space.
• By 2025, new leases and lease renewals where there are significant federal fleet operations must provide EV charging capacity.
• The government will manage its operations to reduce the amount of waste that is generated.
• The government will enhance climate resilience of its land holdings through nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure that, for example, reduce storm surge, improve flood water management, recharge groundwater and reduce heat islands, and do not negatively impact surrounding areas.
• The government will ensure that climate change impacts are considered in land management activities intended to protect, restore or advance biodiversity outcomes.
• The government will minimize the impacts of air, land and marine activities on species, including by addressing impacts from vessels’ noise emissions on marine species and by taking steps to minimize bird strikes into buildings.

Mobility and fleets

• Starting in 2025, 100% of new light-duty fleet vehicle purchases will be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) where suitable options are available; until then, at least 75% must be ZEVs or hybrids.
  • The government’s light-duty fleet will be comprised of 100% ZEVs by 2030.
• By 2030, at least 40% of new commercial medium- and heavy-duty vehicle purchases will be ZEVs.
• The GHG emissions associated with National Safety and Security Fleet (NSSF) operations will continue to be tracked and disclosed, and will meet the following interim targets on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050:   
  • By 2030, at least 20% of the total volume of annual domestic fuel purchases for NSSF air and marine operations will be low-carbon fuels
  • By 2030, the RCMP’s light-duty NSSF will comprise 50% ZEVs, increasing to 100% ZEVs by 2035
  • By 2040, the average net-emission intensity of all NSSF operations will be reduced by at least 50% on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050, through measures such as low-carbon fuels, low- and zero-emission platforms, and permanent carbon dioxide removal
  • These measures will allow NSSF to decarbonize operations without impacting operational levels, requirements or mission parameters.

Procurement of goods and services

Federal departments will green their procurement and materiel management by:

• identifying and starting the implementation of criteria by 2026 for departmental categories of procurement with the highest environmental impact (with a focus on carbon)
• requiring that suppliers provide GHG life-cycle assessment reports for high-value procurements, starting in 2025
• incentivizing major suppliers to adopt a science-based emissions reduction target and disclose GHG emissions for procurements greater than $25M
• including criteria that address climate resilience in high-value procurements and critical services or activities by 2027
• engaging with key internal and external stakeholders, including other green buyers, both domestically through Buyers for Climate Action, and internationally through the Greening Government Initiative

Climate-resilient services and activities

Federal departments will enhance the climate resilience of their critical operations and activities by 2035 and are required to conduct climate risk assessments of their services and activities. These assessments will now need to be reviewed every 5 years and updated if necessary. Risk assessments are also required to:

• align or be integrated with existing departmental risk assessment or business continuity management activities,
• include an implementation plan to reduce identified risks,
• support the Minister of Finance’s reporting requirements in accordance with section 23 of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.