Greening Government Strategy implementation plan and roadmap

The Centre for Greening Government is working with departments to green the government’s real property portfolio. The Greening Government Strategy has outlined specific commitments for real property.

To meet these commitments, departments are:

• reviewing and updating every five years, if necessary, plans for achieving net-zero emissions and climate ‑resilience for real property portfolios; the plans focus on making critical facilities climate-resilient and identify the most cost-effective way to achieve net-zero emissions from real property operations by 2050
• constructing new buildings that have net‑zero emissions or that are net-zero-emissions‑ready, that consider provisions for electric vehicle readiness for federal fleet vehicles, and that have designs that take into account the impacts of climate change
• retrofitting buildings to achieve: optimal GHG savings using a life‑cycle cost approach (for a period of 40 years and with a carbon shadow price of $300 per tonne), to consider provisions for electric vehicle readiness for federal fleet vehicles, and to incorporate measures that reduce current and future climate risks
• reducing, and disclosing the amount of, the embodied carbon of major construction projects starting in 2025 by using recycled and lower-carbon materials, through material efficiency and through performance-based design
• working toward using 100% clean electricity by 2025 either by producing or by purchasing it
• diverting at least 90% of construction and demolition waste from landfill, with a goal of diverting 100% by 2030​
• working toward diverting at least 75% of operational waste from landfill, including plastic waste, by 2030

Starting in 2025, the government will be prioritizing net-zero emissions leased space. As the common service provider for leased Government of Canada office space, Public Services and Procurement Canada is developing a plan to achieve a net‑zero emissions and climate‑resilient leasing portfolio that includes a program for working with landlords.

For more information on greening of federal buildings, consult the Greener Federal Buildings web page.

In addition, many projects funded through the Greening Government Fund are helping reduce GHG emissions from real property operations.

The Centre for Greening Government is working with departments to green the federal fleet in line with Greening Government Strategy commitments.

For the conventional fleet, departments are:

• prioritizing zero-emissions options for all new vehicle and mobile equipment purchases where suitable options are available​
• starting in 2025, ensuring that 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
• working toward making 100% of the light-duty fleet ZEVs by 2030
• working toward making sure that, by 2030, at least 40% of new commercial medium- and heavy-duty vehicle purchases are ZEVs
• optimizing fleet management to achieve the targets, including by maintaining a long-term strategic fleet‑greening plan

For more information on the greening of federal fleets, consult the Federal Vehicles and Fleets web page.

A breakdown of the pathway to net‑zero real property and conventional fleet emissions by 2050 is in Table 1.

The Centre for Greening Government is working with departments to green Canada’s National Safety and Security Fleet (NSSF) in line with Greening Government Strategy commitments.

The NSSF is composed of aircraft, marine vessels and tactical land vehicles operated by National Defence, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Coast Guard.

The Government of Canada is committed to reducing emissions from NSSF operations while providing Canada with effective operational capability. In 2020, Canada was one of the first countries to include NSSF emissions in its 2050 net‑zero emissions target. The NSSF will use more environmentally friendly technologies and low‑carbon fuels when available, affordable, compatible and operationally feasible. These measures will allow NSSF to decarbonize operations without impacting operational levels, requirements or mission parameters.

Canada is currently modernizing and expanding its NSSF operations to protect Canadian interests at home and abroad. In 2024, Canada established the following interim objectives for the NSSF:

• 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 NSSF light-duty fleet 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; this will be achieved through measures such as low-carbon fuels, low and zero-emission platforms, and permanent carbon dioxide removal

Departments responsible for the NSSF are developing Operational Fleet Decarbonization Plans outlining how they will reduce their emissions from operations in line with these interim commitments and the overall 2050 target. These plans will be updated every five years and will consider the availability, affordability, compatibility, and operational feasibility of adopting new technologies and solutions. As part of this work, NSSF departments are already adopting best practices to improve efficiency and reduce emissions and environmental impacts in the areas of:

• fuel procurement, including low-carbon fuels
• fleet procurement, including purchasing energy-efficient platforms
• operational efficiency and net-zero emissions research and innovation

The Low‑Carbon Fuel Procurement Program has been established to accelerate the use of low‑carbon intensity fuels for the government’s air and marine fleet operations.

In addition, through the Greening Government Fund, the government is funding multiple projects to purchase low and zero‑emissions air, marine and land vehicles. More information on these projects can be found on the Greening Government Fund web page.

The Centre for Greening Government is collaborating with departments and agencies to meet the procurement related commitments of the Greening Government Strategy and the Policy on Green Procurement.

Federal departments are greening their procurement and materiel management activities through various actions:

• implementing existing procurement requirements to reduce operational carbon by focusing on green buildings, electricity and fleet (for example, procuring low-carbon fuels through the Low‑Carbon Fuel Procurement Program, the purchase of clean electricity, the purchase of zero‑emission vehicles, and the retrofitting of buildings to zero‑ or low‑carbon)
• working to make emissions from the procurement of goods and services net-zero by 2050
• identifying the categories of procurement that have the highest environmental impact, establishing procurement-related criteria by 2025, and implementing the criteria by 2026
• requiring that suppliers provide GHG life cycle assessment reports for high-value procurements, starting in 2025
• for procurements over $25 million, providing incentives for major suppliers to set a science-based target for reducing emissions and requiring them to disclose GHG emissions
• including criteria that address climate resilience in high-value procurements and in critical services and activities by 2027
• developing and implementing new procurement requirements to reduce embodied carbon by focusing on high value purchases and on categories of goods and services with high environmental impact (concrete, steel, whole asset, IT, fleet, equipment, plastics, fuels)
• continuing to improve the standing offers and supply agreements by incorporating green requirements
• analyzing departmental procurement profiles and focusing on ‑high impact categories and big areas of spending
• developing guidance, tools and training for employees on green procurement
• updating policies and directives to integrate green procurement; measuring and reporting on progress; and 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

Two standards were developed to support green procurement:

• Under the Standard on the Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Setting of Reduction Targets (effective April 1, 2023), suppliers for procurements over $25 million are induced to disclose their GHG emissions and to set reduction targets through a recognized Canadian or international initiative or standard.

• The Standard on Embodied Carbon in Construction (effective December 31, 2022) establishes requirements to disclose and reduce the embodied carbon footprint of construction projects.

Departments are adopting clean technologies as they green their buildings, electricity, fleet and throughout their procurement. They are also adopting clean technologies through initiatives including:

• the Greening Government Fund
• Innovative Solutions Canada
• the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program

For more information on greening procurement, consult the Green Procurement web page.

The Government of Canada is committed to enhancing the climate resilience of its critical services and activities by at the latest 2035 and in doing so, minimizing disruptions to its services and activities, and managing financial risks related to the impacts of climate change.

The Centre for Greening Government is working with departments to ensure the resilience of federal government assets, services and activities that Canadians rely on, consistent with Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy and the Government of Canada Adaptation Action Plan.

Departments are reviewing and updating their climate risk assessments at least every five years (if necessary) and taking measures to reduce identified significant risks. These measures should:

• be aligned with or integrated into existing departmental risk assessments or business continuity management activities
• take into account all services and activities, focusing on those identified as critical
• include a plan to reduce significant risks
• support the Minister of Finance’s reporting requirement under section 23 of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act

Departments are also building the capacity of public service employees to incorporate climate change considerations into their work through guidance, tools and training.

For more information on adaptation and climate resilience, consult the Enhancing resilience to climate change web page.

The federal government is integrating greening government objectives and considerations into relevant Treasury Board policies, including the Directive on the Management of Real Property, the Directive on Procurement, the Directive on the Management of Materiel and the Directive on Security Management.

To ensure transparency for Canadians, the government passed the Canadian Net‑Zero Emissions Accountability Act in June 2021. The act enshrines in legislation the Government of Canada’s commitment to achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and provides a framework of accountability and transparency for fulfilling this commitment. The act specifies the requirements for progress reports that include emissions reductions from federal operations.

One of the key oversight tools for measuring compliance with the requirements of the policy suite is the Management Accountability Framework (MAF), which the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat uses to monitor how departments are meeting expected results. Departmental emissions reductions and green procurement considerations have been integrated into the MAF.

The federal government is collaborating with key partners to share best practices and mobilize the collective power of public procurement.

In April 2021, the United States and Canada announced the Greening Government Initiative, a first-of-its-kind effort to engage governments around the world in greening government operations. This international community of practice enables countries to:

• share lessons learned
• promote innovation
• progress toward net-zero carbon government operations

In 2021, Buyers for Climate Action (BCA) was established to help drive the transition to a green, net‑zero‑carbon economy through collaboration on green procurement. BCA is a coalition of large green buyers who purchase a significant volume of goods and services annually. Members include public organizations such as federal, provincial and municipal governments.

The Centre for Greening Government and the Government of British Columbia co‑chair the Pan‑Canadian Community of Practice for Government Leadership. This community of practice is a forum for collaboration and information‑sharing among federal, provincial and territorial governments on greening government operations. The group meets up to three times a year to discuss various topics, such as greening buildings, fleet, procurement and climate resilience.

The Centre for Greening Government and Canada Post co‑chair the Crown Corporations Greening Community of Practice, which shares progress to date on greening plans and activities and supports information‑sharing about best practices, innovations, promising practices and other tools related to greening operations. Its goal is to create a community of practice across Crown corporations on greening their operations.