A Montreal environmental organization co-founded by former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault is calling on Ottawa to spend $275 million encouraging Canadians to swap their cars for electric bicycles.Blacklock's Reporter says in a pre-budget submission to the House of Commons finance committee, Équiterre proposed a five-year, $100-million purchase subsidy for electric bicycles along with a $175-million vehicle retirement program aimed at reducing the use of gasoline-powered vehicles."Équiterre suggests rewarding Canadians who choose low carbon ways to travel," the organization wrote in its submission.The group said the goal is to reduce the number of kilometres travelled by gasoline-powered vehicles by replacing them with trips made on electric bicycles.Équiterre argued the subsidies should make federally supported transportation more accessible to low- and moderate-income households while expanding support for electric micro-mobility.The organization claimed the measures would help reduce traffic congestion, improve business productivity and lower the social costs associated with air pollution, road collisions and vehicle ownership.The proposal did not outline how the recommended rebate and vehicle retirement programs would operate or what criteria Canadians would need to meet to qualify..Équiterre said the spending is part of a broader package of recommendations it believes would help Canada address climate change.The organization has long advocated for policies discouraging the use of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.In 2021, as a member of the Green Budget Coalition, Équiterre backed a proposal for a $4,000 tax on sport utility vehicles.Guilbeault, who helped found Équiterre before entering federal politics, has frequently promoted cycling and public transit over private vehicle ownership.While serving in cabinet, he told reporters he did not own a personal vehicle, relying instead on an electric government-issued vehicle and driver for official duties."I don't own a vehicle, full stop," Guilbeault said at the time. "My service vehicle is fully electric. It's 100% EV."He also cited Norway's adoption of electric vehicles as evidence that cold climates are not a barrier to electrification.Canada already imposes a Green Levy on the least fuel-efficient passenger vehicles. Introduced in 2007, the federal tax applies to certain luxury and high-performance vehicles, while most pickup trucks and conventional passenger vehicles are exempt.
