Senator Smith: I would appreciate that information.

The government also maintains its commitment to transition its fleet of light-duty vehicles to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2030. As of March 31, 2022, the government’s light-duty fleet contained approximately 18,000 vehicles but less than 3% accounted for zero-emission vehicles, or ZEVs for short.

Senator Gold, given market constraints for electric vehicles, including the fact that, in many cases, there are no suitable vehicles that meet the operational requirements of the government, is this commitment feasible?

Hon. Larry W. Smith: Honourable senators, my question is for Senator Gold.

In 2016, then-minister of the environment Catherine McKenna committed that government operations, including military bases, would be fully powered by renewable energy by 2025. In a recent response to an Order Paper question on this very topic, the government reiterated its commitment to purchase 100% clean electricity by 2025 to power government facilities. In the same response, the government conceded variances across provinces with respect to clean-energy use on Department of National Defence bases and facilities. For example, less than 28% of electricity on three DND facilities in Nova Scotia comes from clean energy, and less than 9% of electricity powering four DND facilities in Nunavut comes from clean energy.

Senator Gold, is the government on track to maintain this commitment by year 2025? If so, what plans are in place for jurisdictions where military bases are operating well below 100% renewable energy?