Public transit is a climate solution we need

The federal Liberals are poised to get rid of it, and the two strongest candidates in their current leadership race are confirming this. 

For years, these same folks insisted the consumer carbon tax was essential. Now they admit there are many other policy tools that could be used instead to arrive at the same place - reducing emissions in line with our climate goals. 

The industrial carbon tax — the charge levied on large emitters — has been three times as effective as the consumer carbon tax. Also effective are current proposals for methane regulations, and an emissions cap for the oil and gas sector, but many fear the Liberals will abandon these ideas too.

I’ve always believed in an approach to climate policy that helps Canadians afford basic necessities, protects communities from the ravages of climate disasters like floods and wildfires, and holds big corporations accountable for polluting the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Mark Carney, the front-runner in the Liberal leadership race, supports subsidies towards the purchase of environmentally friendly products to replace the consumer carbon tax. This is good, but not enough. It is consistent with a “fend for yourself” belief that we can consume our way to a sustainable future. 

Meanwhile, scientists are demanding climate policy leaps, not steps. We must be bolder, especially in sectors like transportation. And that’s where rapid expansion of public transit is a proven climate solution.  

And to be clear: I don’t mean more press conferences about transit plans for the future. In Ottawa we know all about transit projects that fall short. I’m talking about investments to operate (and improve) the transit systems we have - quickly. 

Public transit must be convenient and efficient. This requires the federal and provincial governments to stop obsessing about ribbon cutting ceremonies of future transit projects, and to start funding the buses, trains, and streetcars we have. 

Currently, 25% of Canada’s emissions come from the transportation sector, and much of that from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. But as one recent study notes, we could cut emissions by 65 million tonnes if we sought to double public transit usage by 2035.

Reducing 65 million tonnes of emissions is like taking 20 million cars off the road.  

That’s a bold move. 

It would go well beyond helping some afford an electric car or heat pump. It would take cars off our streets and reduce traffic gridlock. And we would enhance transit infrastructure that already exists.

Last fall, we saw municipal and transit sector leaders from across the country gather on Parliament Hill to issue a joint declaration calling on the federal government to fix our broken public transit funding model. They’ve been ignored.   

In Ottawa, transit fares are rising, and we lost over 74,000 hours of bus service in 2023 from cuts. This is the death spiral that will turn people away from transit. Meanwhile, the federal government has unveiled a transit program that doesn’t actually fund transit service, cuts and fare hikes will continue. 

Meanwhile, according to transit experts, over 1700 buses now sit idle in garages because municipalities don’t have sufficient funds for drivers or mechanics. We need national leadership to ensure public transit has adequate funds to operate.  

We must demand better, and public transit is a climate solution we urgently need.

Let’s fund it!