More than half of Canadians are against the federal government’s proposal to force all new vehicles sold in Canada be electric by 2035, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI). MEI Director of Research Krystle Wittevrongel pointed out Canadians “are a lot more hesitant to ban conventional vehicles than their elected representatives in Ottawa are.”“They have legitimate concerns, most notably with the cost of those cars, and federal and provincial politicians should take note,” said Wittevrongel in a press release. Ipsos found 55% of Canadians disagree with the federal government’s decision to ban the sale of conventional vehicles by 2035. In every region surveyed, it said a larger number of respondents were against the ban than in favour of it.Among Canadians who do not own an EV, fewer than one-quarter said their next vehicle would be electric. Key reasons cited for this lukewarm attitude included the high cost of EVs (70%), the lack of charging infrastructure (66%), and their reduced performance in Canada’s cold climate (64%). Across Canada, Ipsos said 26% of Canadians believe the federal government’s plan to ban the sale of conventional vehicles is realistic. Meanwhile, it said two-thirds maintain the plan is unrealistic.“Canadians understand that 2035 is sooner than Ottawa thinks, and nothing indicates electric vehicle adoption rates are going to follow what federal lawmakers anticipated,” said Wittevrongel. “Concerns with their high cost, the lack of charging infrastructure and their poor performance in our cold climate remain strong.”It found Canadians were troubled by the effects federal legislation has caused in stalling or cancelling energy projects. Additionally, it said seven-tenths were concerned by the negative impact on Canadian jobs arising from the cancellation of tens of billions of dollars in energy projects due to regulatory hurdles.Seventy-six percent said the Canadian government’s environmental impact assessment process takes too long. Nine percent had the opposite view. “Canadians understand that our energy industry plays a key role in Canada’s economy, and that lengthy approval delays from regulators have a negative impact on a project’s chances of happening,” said Wittevrongel. “They are looking for leadership in Ottawa and in the provinces to cut down on bureaucratic hurdles and shorten the time it takes to get shovels in the ground.”The Canadian government said in 2020 Canada is set to lead the charge to ban the production of gas-powered vehicles in North America..Liberals steer towards North American ban on gas-powered vehicles.Former environment minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the Liberals will be seeking closer ties with US President Joe Biden, and being at the front of the banning parade was one way it was looking at doing it.To deal with climate change, Wilkinson said the Canadian government and Biden agree zero-emissions vehicles need to be deployed faster.The poll was conducted online among 1,190 Canadian adults from September 18 to 22. It had a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
