Electric vehicle mandate risks being next carbon tax without 'adjustments,' EV industry warns
OTTAWA — The head of a national association representing the electric transportation industry says the federal government, and provinces with a zero-emission vehicle sales mandate, should make 'short-term adjustments' to their programs at the risk of the policy going the way of the now-cancelled consumer carbon tax.
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Electric Mobility Canada President Daniel Breton's comments come as auto-makers and others in the industry express a fresh round of concerns about the Liberals' sales mandate, which has set a target of reaching 100-per-cent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035, beginning with initial targets of hitting 60 per cent by 2030 and at least 20 per cent by 2026.
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'We believe that B.C, Quebec, and the federal government should make short-term adjustments, because between now and 2030 we don't know yet what's going to happen south of the border. We don't know yet what's going to happen between Canada and the U.S.,' Breton told National Post in an interview Thursday.
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'Lowering the targets between now and 2030 would be a reasonable path.'
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With Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre ratcheting up his efforts in demanding that the mandate be scrapped, arguing it removes 'choice' from consumers, Breton, a former Quebec environment minister, says the risk of not making short-term adjustments at the federal level is that, 'this is going to become a political hot potato.'
'Like the carbon tax was.'
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The consumer carbon tax was a signature climate policy of the Liberals until March, when Prime Minister Mark Carney cancelled it, saying it had become 'too divisive.' That followed a years-long campaign by Poilievre, who criss-crossed the country, promising to 'axe the tax,' blaming it for forcing consumers to pay additional costs amid a cost-of-living crisis.
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Breton, whose association represents 180 members in the electric transportation industry, including those who sell electric cars, says 'we have to find a pathway' that will allow people and those in the traditional automotive industry to buy credits and 'ease into this regulation.'
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A credit system is at the heart of the federal policy, which the Liberals finalized in 2023 as part of their plan to reduce Canada's overall greenhouse gas emissions, taking aim at the transportation sector, one of the top emitters.
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The government says manufacturers can earn credits by either selling or making zero-emission vehicles, which Ottawa defines as either a battery-powered vehicle or a plug-in hybrid, or by purchasing credits from an electric vehicle maker, or putting money towards building out charging infrastructure.
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National Observer
2 hours ago
- National Observer
Trade talks between Canada and US end over digital tax, Trump says
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Carney has been negotiating in private with Trump and said earlier this month the two governments are pursuing a deal to end the president's stop-and-go tariff war. At the G7 summit in Alberta, Carney and Trump agreed to work on reaching a deal by mid-July. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he did not speak Friday with Donald Trump before the U.S. president announced a sudden end to trade negotiations in response to Ottawa's plans to push ahead with a digital services tax at the end of the month. The digital services tax is a three per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users of digital services such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb. It takes effect on June 30 but is retroactive for three years. The initial bill facing American companies is expected to be close to $2 billion. The United Kingdom kept a similar tax in a trade deal with the U.S. that was signed last week at the G7 summit in Alberta. 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Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Trump 'terminating all discussions' on trade with Canada over digital tax
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Toronto Sun
7 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
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Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Cops, lawyers and, most importantly, the public. But one group was steadfast in their refusal to acknowledge what was unfolding on the streets of the country. The federal government. Premiers of all political stripes begged the feds to do something, anything, to restore confidence in the justice system. But like a beloved Teddy Bear, Justin Trudeau et al clung to the notion that everything was tickety boo. One of the most contentious aspects of the Liberals' appeasement of the criminal fraternity has been Bill C-75, which the Conservatives vowed to repeal during the last federal election. Cooked up in a haze of reefer smoke in the faculty lounge, along with other fantasies, C-75 called for bail in virtually every criminal situation. Killers, drug kingpins, child molesters, cartel hitmen, and illegal criminals, most got the free pass. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While everyone charged with a crime in this country is presumed innocent, it was the violent and repetitive nature of some of the offences that has caused outrage. TRUCKIN: These men were busted in a massive cocaine smuggling ring. PEEL REGIONAL POLICE So what happened? Commit a crime, get bail, commit another crime, get bail, and on and on and on. 'We're arresting the same guys over and over again. It's a waste of manpower and a critical community safety threat,' one detective told me in December. Now, finally, as Trudeau's fairy dust has left the room, and Prime Minister Mark Carney's team is taking over, someone, quite possibly an adult, in the bowels of the Liberal backroom has discovered that, yes, violent crime is a problem and people are worried for themselves and their children. Justice Minister Sean Fraser announced this week that the government will table a bill this fall that will introduce tougher bail and harsher sentencing for some crimes, particularly those involving organized crime, human trafficking, home invasion and car theft. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's perhaps obvious, given the tenor around the criminal justice system, that reforms are in order,' Fraser told The Canadian Press. Indeed. Those who face Project Outsource charges are seen during a Peel police press conference on Monday, June 16, 2025. Photo by Jack Boland / Toronto Sun During the election, the Liberals were tarred as soft-on-crime and beholden to diasporas whose members are overrepresented on daily police blotters. Gun crime? Blame Uncle Fred and his squirrel rifle. For repeat offenders, specifically organized crime members, violent criminals and frequent flying car thieves, Fraser is now promising that Hug a Thug is done. He noted that organized crime is heavily involved in auto theft. The hard line will act as a deterrent, Fraser added. 'It's not just a reaction to something you read about in a headline,' he said. 'It's meant to send a signal to deter problematic behaviour that you want to address, to help people feel safe.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Fraser wouldn't cop to the reality that the past decade has been, as Henry Hill noted in Goodfellas, a 'glorious time' for criminals, he acknowledged it's a problem. 'We hear from Canadians more broadly that there is a challenge with the criminal justice system,' he said, adding citizens have 'real concerns.' 'There is a challenge with the bail system.' Fraser said provincial governments need to ensure judges and justices of the peace who offer up bail like candy on Halloween also need to do their part. And they need to ensure there are enough jail cells. Not a bad start. And the faculty lounge with its myriad kooky theories is rightly quivering. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun Toronto Raptors News Music Toronto Raptors Canada
