Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault unveiled his new electric vehicle requirements on Tuesday morning, pushing for all new vehicles sold in 2035 to be “zero-emission.”The Electric Vehicle Availability Standard aims to guarantee the Canadian market has a sufficient supply of electric vehicles and shorten the waiting period for purchasing an electric vehicle. By 2026, zero-emission vehicles, which include battery electric, plug-in and hydrogen models, should be 20% of all new car sales, escalating to 60% by 2030 and reaching 100% by 2035."Many Canadians are increasingly eager to make the switch to cleaner transportation since it's a win-win-win in savings, their health, and the environment. Putting in place an Electric Vehicle Availability Standard fulfils a major climate commitment from our climate plan,” said Guilbeault.“Getting more electric vehicles on the road is another example of how we are taking climate action while helping make life more affordable. And our investments to position Canada as a significant player in the global electric vehicle manufacturing and battery supply chain shows how we are taking advantage of the economic opportunities provided by the emerging low-carbon economy." Not everyone is as positive about the EV future as Guilbeault and the Trudeau government, given the billion dollar subsidies given to EV battery and manufacturing facilities.“The Trudeau government just keeps extending one helping hand after another to the electric vehicle industry." Said Krystle Wittevrongel, senior policy analyst at Montreal Economic Institute (MEI)."At a certain point, we have to wonder if it's not going a little too far with all this aid." The MEl is an independent public policy think tank.
