Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday that his party will focus on pushing the Liberals to repeal the electric vehicle sales mandate during the coming parliamentary sitting.
Poilievre said the Conservatives plan to introduce motions, petitions and other “pressure campaigns” to repeal the policy that is set to come into force next year.
“The electric vehicle mandate that the Liberals are imposing on Canadians is a complete and utter disaster,” Poilievre said during a news conference in Corman Park, Sask.
“Conservatives are launching a nationwide campaign, including in the House of Commons, to force the Liberals to back down … on the gas vehicle ban.”
The mandate requires the number of new zero-emission vehicles sold in Canada to hit 20 per cent by next year, 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035 in order to help the country hit its emission-reduction targets.
Poilievre has been calling on the Liberals to walk back the mandate for months.
“It’s time to put Canadians back in the driver’s seat so they can decide what life they want to live,” he said Thursday.
The auto industry has also been calling for an end to the mandate. The CEOs of Canada’s big three automakers met with Prime Minister Mark Carney last month to lobby for its removal, arguing that the sales mandate would cripple their companies and put thousands of jobs at risk as the industry faces American tariffs and EV demand is sagging.
The Liberals haven’t indicated whether they intend to keep or scrap the mandate following July’s meeting.
Carney has repealed other policies introduced under former prime minister Justin Trudeau — most notably the consumer carbon tax.
Manufacturers have said there is just not enough demand to hit the 20 per cent target next year, in part due to the ending of the federal EV rebate program.
The rebate offered up to $5,000 toward the purchase of a new electric car and up to $2,500 on the purchase of a new plug-in hybrid.
While it was supposed to stay in place until March, it was paused in January when it ran out of funding. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin told The Canadian Press in June that another rebate program could be in the works.
Even though he lost his seat in the spring election, it is unlikely Poilievre will miss much time in the House this fall. He is expected to win what is considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country in a byelection on Monday and the House of Commons isn’t set to return until mid-September.
