Looking under the hood of the zero-emission vehicle industry

Transportation accounted for 22 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), which will be 100 per cent of new cars and light-duty trucks sold in our country by 2035, will play an important role in reducing these emissions. As we make that transition, we need to look under the hood of our vehicles and at the critical minerals necessary to build them. I am an urban MP, an advocate for the environment, and a champion for our mining industry. It might seem like an unlikely mix, but here is why I see Canada’s Mines to Mobility supply chain as key to our plan to fight emissions. The fact is that we need mined materials to build the transportation of the future. I have many conversations with people in my community who share my enthusiasm for ZEVs and their role in emissions reduction, but rarely do we talk about the mined items, such as lithium, that we need to build these vehicles. Even my bike, which is my main mode of transportation, is built using the outputs of mined elements such as steel and carbon alloy. We simply cannot build the necessary pieces to a low-carbon economy without mined materials. The question is: where do we mine and process these materials? Canada can and should be the world’s supplier of choice. We have the resources necessary. We are a world leader in environmental, social, and governance practices. And we are a reliable trading partner in a global, rules-based system. Just last month, the City of Greater Sudbury, Ont., hosted the first-ever “BEV In-Depth: Mines to Mobility” conference, bringing together members from the mining, charging, and auto manufacture industries along with environmental scientists, academics, and Indigenous leaders to talk about the opportunities the industry has to offer. It was a great example of the partnerships we can build across our country and demonstrated that Canada has all the right ingredients to be at the front of the clean transportation market. The entire ZEV supply chain brings massive economic opportunities in the transition to a net-zero future. This is why our government initiated the Mines to Mobility approach—Canada’s Plan for a Battery Ecosystem—to build up each segment of Canada’s battery supply chain and the jobs that come with it: from mining and processing raw materials to assembling road-ready zero-emission vehicles. In addition, we have all the necessary regulatory and legal mechanisms to ensure that our mines adhere to environmental and labour standards. Canada is in the unique position to be a leader in the mining and processing on a competitive scale with other nations while also being a leader in the environmental, social and corporate governance standards. It is not just about extracting and processing the resources, we need to do it responsibly. We don't have much time to seize these opportunities—Canada needs to move quickly, and we are already seeing a lot of progress. A planned $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor could secure Ontario’s place as a North American hub for building the batteries of the future. And recently, Stellantis announced another investment of $3.6-billion to retool its Windsor and Brampton, Ont., facilities to produce electric vehicles. GM and South Korea’s POSCO Chemical have started construction on a $500-million battery-materials plant in Quebec. Sudbury’s own Frontier Lithium could soon become one of the biggest lithium suppliers in North America. These are key foundational investments that are bringing more international attention—and investment dollars—to Canada’s battery ecosystem. We plan to keep this momentum going. Last year alone, Canada’s Mining to Mobility approach attracted $6-billion in investment projects in our automotive sector, primarily for electric vehicle manufacturing and battery assembly. These investments are creating good paying jobs for Canadians. There is no question: we need mining for ZEVs and need ZEVs for climate action. As we travel down the road to a more prosperous future, one of the best ways to arrive at our destination is to fundamentally transform how we move. This is good news for Canadians everywhere: thousands of well-paying jobs with made-in-Canada products. And a healthier environment and economy for us all. The more I learn about how the tools for the transition are built, the more I become a champion for Canadian mining. Julie Dabrusin is the parliamentary secretary to the minister and natural resources and parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change. She was first elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Toronto–Danforth, Ont., in 2015. The Hill Times