Liberals cautioned to lower costs following revival of EV mandate
Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin backed the 2035 conventional vehicle ban Tuesday, claiming there were “flexibilities built within that regulation.”
Canada needs a 29% decrease in electric vehicle (EV) ownership costs to meet its 2030 sales target, according to Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) estimates. All new vehicle sales must be zero-emission by 2035, reads the 2023 mandate.
Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin backed the 2035 ban Tuesday at the House of Commons, claiming there were “flexibilities built within that regulation.” She did not elaborate, according to Blacklock’s.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced in May that Ottawa would reinstate the $5,000 rebates for EV purchases. Without the rebate, a 33% price drop would have been needed, as reported by the Epoch Times.
A 2024 federal study revealed that only 36% of Canadians considered buying an EV, down from 51% in 2022. The report cited high costs (75%), poor cold weather performance (59%), and limited range (56%) as major concerns.
Minister Dabrusin claims the regulations “set out [to] make more electric vehicles available to Canadians.”
Most Canadians (54%) oppose the mandate, according to a 2024 Leger poll for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault previously lauded the cost-savings of his mandate. “Once you drive a car off the lot the savings on fuelling and maintenance costs are enormous,” he told reporters in 2023.
A 2024 PBO report indicated a necessary 31% reduction in ownership costs, while a June 10 report stated EV prices must drop 29% by 2030. It cites policy changes, including the fuel charge end and rebate return, for the amendment.
Previously scheduled to end in March 2025, the rebate program was prematurely halted in January due to high demand and depleted funding.
Projections for charging stations remain consistent with previous reports, anticipating a 33,900 increase in standard charging ports and a 4,700 increase in fast charging ports by 2030 to meet EV sale targets.
On Tuesday, questions from Conservative MP Dan Mazier prompted several deflections to U.S. tariffs on Canada’s auto sector and emissions from the transportation sector.
“We do have in place the regulations that set consistently increasing targets for electric vehicle sales going to 100%,” said Minister Dabrusin. “There are also flexibilities built within that regulation that if we wanted to have a larger conversation about, we could speak about.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vowed in April to scrap the mandate, if elected, calling it wasteful and unnecessary.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-06-11 23:50:39 -0400If that’s the case, we can expect to see an underground industry where people will service or make parts for those “antiquated” internal combustion engine vehicles. It’s that way in Cuba. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-06-11 19:23:48 -0400Thanks, Liberal voters, for letting in the same gangsters to keep on robbing us. You idiots! How long will it take for you folks to wise up and see that these rebates for stuff most folks don’t want isn’t saving the planet. There’s no crises either. It’s part of the green scam to transfer our wealth to businesses pretending to be green. Do you know how much real environmental damage EVs do? Do you care about Congoan children and Chinese slave labourers? No, it’s all virtue signalling.
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Robert Pariseau commented 2025-06-11 19:16:39 -0400She’s staying.
