Transportation Sector

The Transportation sector in Canada includes passenger, freight and off-road transportation.

Overall, the Transportation sector accounts for 28.9 per cent of the energy consumed in Canada, ranking second behind the Industrial sector and ahead of the Residential sector and the Commercial/Institutional sector.

Within the Transportation sector, passenger transportation accounts for 54.1 per cent of the energy consumed, freight transportation for 42 per cent of the energy consumed and off-road for 3.9 per cent of the energy consumed.

In terms of vehicles, freight trucks account for 33.8 percent of the energy used in the Transportation sector, followed by passenger cars and passenger light trucks. Together, these three transportation modes account for more than three-quarters of the energy consumed in the sector.

In terms of fuel, gasoline accounts for 56.2 per cent of the energy powering the Transportation sector and diesel for 30.2 per cent. Other fuel sources make up less than 14 per cent. In 2006, domestic sales of refined petroleum products in Canada totaled slightly more than 100 million cubic metres, of which about 75 per cent were used in transportation.