Auto industry says environment minister won't relent despite calls to scrap EV mandate
He says while the government recognizes there is a challenge with EV sales and meeting the current targets, what remains unclear is what it intends to do next.
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'Minister Dabrusin and Environment Canada seem to be committed to having an (electric vehicle) mandate in place, and we continue to make the case to them that there are no changes that you could make to this mandate that will solve the current situation that we're in,' he told National Post, on a call while he attended the premiers meeting in Ontario's cottage country.
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Any changes the government might consider would take time to implement, he said, adding that there was 'deep frustration' within the industry as it must decide how to meet the upcoming targets, with one option being to restrict sales of internal combustion engine vehicles.
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'This is urgent,' Kingston said. 'This isn't a tomorrow problem.'
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Under the policy, companies could earn credits either by selling zero-emission vehicles, which include plug-in hybrids or ones powered by hydrogen, purchasing credits from another electric vehicle maker, or spending money on building out charging infrastructure.
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Should they fail to meet the targets, they could face penalties under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
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'The environment minister does not want to scrap the mandate— that was made very clear to us, and that is extremely problematic for the industry. That option cannot be off the table. It is the most effective and fastest way to address this current problem,' Kingston said.
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In a statement, a spokesperson for Dabrusin said the policy was implemented to give Canadians access 'to affordable zero-emission vehicles to fight climate change with Canadian innovation.'
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'The standard is currently in place, and we are continuing to meaningfully engage with industry and explore flexibility to make sure that our measures reflect (the) times we are in,' spokesperson Jenna Ghassabeh wrote.
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Flavio Vlope, president of the Association of Automotive Component Manufacturers, who was also at the premiers' gathering, said he had spoken to around half a dozen ministers regarding the mandate and that the government was consulting 'heavily' with industry.
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With the environment minister not appearing to entertain the question of scrapping the targets, he said the 'pressure is on' Dabrusin's department to make them 'mean something.'
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'Because right now, all they mean is a setup for failure,' he said.
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'There are lots of ways to help the industry here move along the immutable march to electrification, but as currently configured, all it does is punish them, and nobody needs religion right now.'
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