Action on Other Sources of Air Pollution

In addition to measures to reduce air emissions from industry, the Government is committed to addressing emissions from transportation, strengthening energy efficiency standards for a number of energy-using products, and for the first time ever, the Government has recognized the urgent need to take action to improve indoor air quality and committed to implement measures to do so.

Reducing Emissions from Transportation

Transportation is one of the largest sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Cars, trucks, trains, and planes account for over one-quarter of all greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions in Canada.

For the first time, the Government will regulate the fuel efficiency of cars and light duty trucks, beginning with the 2011 model year. Our rules or regulations will be based on a stringent, dominant North American standard. We intend to work in close collaboration with the United States to pursue a Clean Auto Pact that would establish an environmentally ambitious North American regulatory standard for such vehicles.

The Government will develop additional regulations as needed to continue to align Canadian vehicle and engine air pollutant regulations with world leading standards of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and to implement initiatives to ensure a more streamlined and efficient regulatory system. This includes regulating motorcycles, outboard engines, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, on-road heavy-duty engines and off-road diesel engines.

Finally, the Government will continue to take action to reduce emissions from the rail, marine and aviation sectors.

Action on Consumer and Commercial Products

The Government will reduce air emissions from consumer and commercial products by strengthening energy efficiency standards for energy-using products and by taking action to regulate a number of other products such as paints, coatings, cleaners and personal care products that contain volatile organic compounds that cause smog.

Amendments to regulations under the Energy Efficiency Act will include new energy performance standards for 20 currently unregulated products, such as commercial clothes washers and commercial boilers, and more stringent requirements for 10 currently regulated products, including dishwashers and dehumidifiers.

New or more stringent energy-efficiency standards for energy-using products (such as residential gas-fired furnaces), will come into force between 2007 and 2010.

And the Government will set performance standards for all lighting that woul dphase out the use of inefficient incandescent light bulbs in common applications by 2012.

The Government will also put forward regulations to limit volatile organic compound content in consumer and commercial products which will align with United States requirements where appropriate. This will increase opportunities for Canadian industry to compete in the North American market on an equal footing.

Improving Indoor Air Quality

Canadians spend 90% of their time indoors, where they are exposed to various pollutants. Some indoor air pollutants infiltrate from outdoors, while others come from indoor sources, such as mould from excessive moisture and inadequate ventilation. Other key indoor air pollutants can occur naturally, such as radon, which can accumulate to a dangerous level when present in a confined space such as a home basement. In Canada, radon is responsible for 1,900 lung cancer deaths a year, second only to tobacco smoke. It is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency ranks indoor air among the top five environmental risks to public health. Poor indoor air quality has been shown to cause or exacerbate a wide range of health effects, including allergies, asthma, lung cancer, respiratory infections, and ear, nose, and throat irritations.

The Government intends to make significant improvements in indoor air by regulating products and commercial activities, coordinated with better participation in building codes development and land use planning decisions.

The Government will also introduce other measures for improving indoor air quality. Health Canada will develop a priority list of indoor contaminants that are national in scope and require government action. The Government will use legislative authorities to gather information on contaminants that affect indoor air quality. This information will be used to guide decisions on the development of guidelines and product regulations.

Consultation on the list of priority contaminants will begin in the spring of 2007, with information gathering and regulations to follow.

Other Action

This Regulatory Framework for Air Emissions is one of the main features of Canada's New Government's comprehensive environmental agenda, which totals over $9 billion and includes the ecoENERGY Initiatives, the ecoTransport Strategy, support for public transit, action on renewable fuels and new investments that total $4.5 billion in Budget 2007. These initiatives aim to measurably reduce the impact on the health of all Canadians, and on the environment.