CPA congratulates new federal ministers, identifies opportunities

CPA President and CEO Nathalie St-Pierre has written to two federal cabinet ministers who have taken on new roles that are of interest to the CPA.

 

On July 18, Prime Minister Trudeau appointed Dominic LeBlanc to the cabinet position of minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade. The prime minister also appointed Amarjeet Sohi as the new minister of Natural Resources.

 

Part of Minister LeBlanc’s new mandate is to "Support the minister of Environment and Climate Change and provinces and territories on the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, and support northern communities confronting immediate climate adaptation challenges.”

 

In her letter to LeBlanc, St-Pierre indicated that she would like to meet with the minister at his earliest convenience. St-Pierre noted that the CPA believes that the expanded use of low-emission propane can make an immediate impact on helping to build healthier communities, especially for those living in Indigenous and northern regions of Canada.

 

Towards that end, St-Pierre pointed to the CPA’s recent pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Finance Committee in which the CPA recommended that, "the federal government demonstrate its commitment to providing cleaner and healthier living conditions in Indigenous communities by funding $100 million over a three-year period, beginning in the 2019-2020 fiscal year for the conversion of over 15,000 residential, public and commercial buildings in Indigenous communities from diesel to low-emission propane.”

 

A similar letter of congratulations and meeting request was sent to Minister Sohi. Among the many responsibilities outlined in the mandate letter he received from the prime minister was to, "support the minister of Transport on next steps to put more low-emission vehicles, including electric vehicles, on the roads in Canada.”

 

St-Pierre indicated to Minister Sohi that the CPA strongly believes that a truly national and comprehensive plan to put low-emission vehicles on the road must include propane, especially with regards to return-to-base fleets.

 

Citing another recommendation in CPA’s recent pre-budget submission, St-Pierre said this could be done over a three-year period beginning in the 2019–2020 fiscal year with the federal government committing up to $125 million in tax credits ($5,000 per commercial vehicle) towards the conversion of up to 25,000 commercial vehicles in Canada from traditional fossil fuels to propane.”

 

The House of Commons is scheduled to resume sitting on September 17. The CPA expects to secure meetings with both ministers’ offices in the coming weeks.