'They're increasingly skeptical': Canadians say EV sales mandate 'unrealistic,' survey suggests
Looking at the data, he said it is clear the government faces 'a really significant uphill battle to convince Canadians that this policy is a good policy to pursue.'
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Under the Liberals' mandate, all new vehicle sales in Canada would have to be zero-emission by 2035, beginning with a sales target of 20 per cent by 2026, before increasing to 30 per cent by 2030.
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Besides the ongoing trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has targeted the automotive sector with tariffs, declining sales have been the other big concern automakers cite when they say the government's 2026 target is unachievable and that the policy should be shelved.
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Leger's survey asked respondents why they believe electric vehicle sales have fallen as drastically as they have in the past year.
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Statistics Canada reported that in the first quarter of this year, sales of zero-emission vehicles represented 8.7 per cent of new vehicle registrations, down from 23 per cent in the previous year.
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According to the survey, 48 per cent of respondents said that even with government subsidies, they believe the price of these vehicles to be too expensive.
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Another 39 per cent cited the lack of charging infrastructure, while 37 per cent of respondents said EVs 'were not suitable to people's needs,' and 32 per cent pointed to the lack of confidence in the vehicles themselves.
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'The Canadians who have really lost confidence in this mandate — females, individuals 35 and older,' Enns said.
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He said, given such data and intensifying calls from automakers asking the Liberal government to scrap the mandate, Carney may pivot.
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'This is a government that hasn't been shy to reverse course on what has been sort of, I would argue, some pretty bedrock policies of the previous government.'
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Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, whose portfolio includes setting the targets for the mandate, has said the government will keep talking to industry to explore 'flexibility.'
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