Pierre Poilievre is opposed to the mandate on EV sales in Canada as a Liberal policy, damaging to employment and jobs and unrealistic since EVs lost rebates and ongoing plunges in demand.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has again doubled his efforts to target the Liberal government, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, over its plan to stipulate the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada. On August 14, speaking in Saskatchewan, Poilievre said the policy was a “disaster in its entirety” and that he was organizing national campaigns, including motions and petitions, to motivate the government to retract it.

The federal EV mandate could entrust the requirements of zero-emission vehicles to constitute 20 percent of the total new sales by 2026, 60 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035. Although an attempt to PR its decreasing emissions, the critics point out that it jeopardizes employment and is likely to fail because of the lowered consumer demand.

The leaders of the automobile industry in Canada have also expressed their concerns, informing those that the targets cannot be met unless there are beefier incentives. The recent decision to end the federal EV rebate plan, which previously provided up to 5000 dollars during the purchasing process, has further heightened concerns about achieving the targets.

The Liberal government cannot confirm whether the government will keep or rather modify the policy after lobbying by the industries. In the meantime, Poilievre vowed to continue the struggle against the EV requirement, pitching it as a question of choice by Canadians.

Later in the month, in mid-September, there will be a resumption of the House of Commons and thus a major hot potato agenda item regarding EV policy.