Question Period Note: Greening Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Real Property Portfolio

Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Crown-owned building portfolio (excluding housing) is achieving results in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and towards becoming net-zero carbon, in response to the Greening Government Strategy. The department is also achieving results toward zero plastic waste.

• The Government is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings
• These reductions come from actions to improve buildings’ energy efficiency, electricity grid improvements and the procurement of renewable energy credits

If pressed on how the remaining emissions will be reduced in the Crown-owned portfolio:

• Additional greenhouse gas emission reductions are expected as we right-size, recapitalize and modernize federal office space (Office Portfolio Long Term Plan)
• These ongoing actions, in conjunction with achievements to date, are leading Public Services and Procurement Canada towards achieving over 82% greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2026 while being in a very good position to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050 for its Crown-owned portfolio
• With respect to embodied carbon in construction projects, PSPC is implementing a more systematic and standardized challenge function in construction projects to maximize embodied carbon reductions

If pressed on zero plastics:

• Over the last four years, the 344 waste audits completed for 182 buildings indicate that plastic waste makes up a small percent of the total waste produced per occupant per year
• Efforts to reduce the use of plastics are guided through the implementation of a Plastics Action Plan. This Plan includes the delivery of sustainability awareness programs and engagement strategies for new hybrid workplace environments, new recycling infrastructure and services for hard to recycle plastics, and the reduction of plastics through green procurement initiatives
• Green procurement initiatives related to plastics include mandatory  Standard Language for Environmentally Preferable Packaging for all Public Services and Procurement Canada-administered goods procurements, which came into effect in September. This specifies that packaging should be reusable, returnable, or recyclable in order to reduce plastic waste from the high impact category of packaging
• Going beyond packaging, Public Services and Procurement Canada is working to identify plastic alternatives in commodities with high concentrations of plastics, and ensure all procurements in commodities affected by the recent Single Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations are leading by example

National Clean Electricity Initiative

Public Services and Procurement Canada has been working with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat - Centre for Greening Government to develop a strategy to procure 100% clean electricity where available, as was identified in the 2019 Minister of Public Services and Procurement Mandate Letter. Public Services and Procurement Canada will purchase electricity from new renewable infrastructure, in provinces where it is available, and will procure Renewable Energy Certificates to displace GHG emitting electricity in locations where new infrastructure development is not presently available.

The National Clean Electricity Initiative includes provincial initiatives such as Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Atlantic Clean Energy Initiative and the Alberta and Saskatchewan Clean Electricity Initiatives to purchase clean electricity locally in these provinces. It also includes the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates to displace electricity generated from high carbon sources for participating federal departments.

Energy Services Acquisition Program

The Energy Services Acquisition Program is modernizing the National Capital Region District Energy System which provides heating services to 80 buildings and cooling services to 67 buildings in the National Capital Region. Implementation of Smart Plants and Smart Buildings measures, the modernisation of the National Capital Region District Energy System infrastructure, along with the electrification of the heating plants, will result in a 92% reduction of the District Energy System networks greenhouse gas emissions by 2026, compared to the 2005 to 2006 baseline. The residual greenhouse gas emissions of 8% (9,000 tonnes) will be addressed through a number of additional technologies and the procurement of clean energy. Altogether, these measures will allow the National Capital Region District Energy System to achieve near net-zero carbon status by 2030.

Office Long Term Plan

Public Services and Procurement Canada’s 2021-2022 Office Long Term Plan is an aspirational plan that contains notional targets designed to right size, recapitalize and modernize the Government of Canada’s Office Portfolio over a 25 year planning horizon.

With respect to specific portfolio greening objectives identified in the Office Long Term Plan, the following initiatives have been identified to continue to help achieve the Government of Canada carbon elimination priorities within our office portfolio:

• The National Clean Electricity initiative to procure clean renewable electricity
• The rigorous application of a Public Services and Procurement Canada developed and government approved GHG Options Analysis Methodology as part of all Business Cases. This methodology which is already in use, provides evidence base best environmental and financial value options so decision makers can make informed decisions;
• The Energy Services Acquisition Program in the National Capital Region: Public Services and Procurement Canada plans to provide low carbon intensive energy to a significant portion of the department’s office portfolio; and
• An optimised portfolio size would generate an estimated reduction of 22 kt CO2e (kilotons emission of equivalent carbon dioxide)

• In 2022-2023, Public Services and Procurement Canada reported a 60.5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from its own buildings compared to the 2005 to 2006 baseline
• A decrease of 19% of the remaining emissions is expected by 2026 through the procurement of clean electricity (National Clean Electricity Initiative)
• A decrease of 40% of the remaining emissions is expected by 2026 by modernizing the heating and cooling system for up to 80 buildings in the National Capital Region (Energy Services Acquisition Program)
• Target is over 82% greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2026