As part of the Government of Canada's environmental agenda, the ecoFREIGHT program will take new steps to reduce the environmental and health effects of freight transportation through the use of technology.

The program consists of six initiatives:

• National Harmonization Initiative for the Trucking Industry: identifying regulatory barriers and solutions in collaboration with provinces and territories, so that the Canadian trucking industry can embrace emissions-reducing technologies.
  
  
• ecoENERGY for Fleets: reducing fuel use and emissions in commercial and institutional fleets via training, sharing of best practices, anti-idling campaigns, technical analysis to look for potential improvements and other technology opportunities.
  
  
• Freight Technology Demonstration Fund: establishing cost-shared demonstrations to test and measure new and underused freight transportation technologies in real-world conditions.
  
  
• Freight Technology Incentives Program: providing cost-shared funding to companies and non-profit organizations in freight transportation to help them to purchase and install proven emission-reducing technologies.
  
  
• ecoFREIGHT Partnerships: building and maintaining partnerships within the transportation sector to reduce emissions from freight transportation through fast and flexible voluntary actions that can support the regulatory framework.
  
  
• Marine Shore Power: demonstrating the use of shore-based power for marine vessels in Canadian ports to reduce air pollution from idling ship engines in some of Canada's largest urban centres.

The ecoFREIGHT program builds on the major-infrastructure investments that the Government of Canada announced in the 2006 federal budget, as well as the best elements of past freight technology initiatives that are consistent with the Government's objectives and approach. It also complements other measures, like regulating emissions from rail and marine transportation and fuel consumption of new light duty vehicles, announced in the fall.