The Government of Quebec recently unveiled its Politique de mobilité durable – 2030 : Transporter le Québec vers la modernité (the “Policy”), as well as the Plan d’action 2018-2023 (the “Action Plan”), a five year action plan to implement the Policy. The objectives of the Policy are ambitious and focus primarily on promoting public transportation, enhancing the existing transportation infrastructure, and continuing efforts related to the electrification of the transportation system.

In order to further the Policy, the Action Plan sets out specific objectives such as:

• access by 70% of the Quebec population to at least four sustainable mobility services;
• a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector to 37.5% below 1990 levels;
• a 25% increase of the tonnages of goods transhipped in Quebec's ports and rail intermodal centers; and
• a reduction of oil consumption in the transportation sector to 40% below 2013 levels.

These objectives will be reached thanks to substantial financing targeting the promotion of sustainable and efficient transportation services. As regards the reduction in oil consumption, the Government of Quebec states that beginning in 2025, it will only finance the acquisition of 100% electric vehicles for passenger transportation.

These financing guidelines will be of interest to actors in the transportation industry who stand to be affected directly or indirectly by the measures, projects, programs and investments contemplated by the Policy. New government investments provided in the Action Plan total nearly $3 billion over five years and include $450.6 million to the Programme d’aide au développement du transport collectif (PADTC), $7.5 million to the Programme de subvention aux véhicules collectifs accessibles (PSVCA) and $20 million to the Programme d’aide à l’intégration modale (PAIM). The Action Plan also confirms various planned investments, including $44.25 million to the Programme visant la réduction ou l’évitement des gaz à effet de serre par le développement du transport intermodal (PREGTI) and $88 million to the Programme de soutien aux investissements dans les infrastructures de transport maritime (PSIITM).

Together, the Policy and Action Plan make clear that going forward, public sector financing of Quebec’s transportation industry will focus on sustainability, electrification and energy efficiency.

This article was prepared by McCarthy Tétrault’s Transportation and Logistics Group. For more information, please contact David F. Blair or Brian Lipson.