Parliament has voted to uphold a federal mandate requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in Canada to be electric by 2035, rejecting Conservative efforts to repeal the policy. Blacklock's Reporter says MPs passed the measure 194 to 141 after a heated debate over its cost, feasibility, and fairness.Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.) said the mandate removes choice from Canadians. “There is nothing wrong with choosing to drive an electric car,” she said. “What is wrong is the government mandating that everybody drive an electric car.”Lantsman called the policy “something straight out of a science fiction” scenario. Her party introduced a motion to scrap the regulation, arguing it would increase vehicle prices by $20,000 and limit consumer options. The motion failed.Under cabinet’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, 20% of new vehicle sales must be electric by 2026, rising to 60% by 2030, with a full ban on new gas-powered cars and pickups by 2035. Currently, just 1.3% of registered vehicles in Canada are battery-electric, according to Statistics Canada.Liberal MP Wade Grant (Vancouver Quadra), parliamentary secretary for the environment, said the policy isn’t a ban but a gradual transition. “The Vehicle Availability Standard does not ban vehicles from using gasoline,” he said. “It phases in targets for the availability of zero emission vehicles.”Grant defended the measure as necessary climate leadership. “This is about the future. This is about my children, my grandchildren, everybody’s children,” he said.Bloc Québécois MPs voted against the Conservative motion but accused the Liberals of lacking conviction on climate. “It’s become clear to me the Liberals no longer have any ideas, values, moral compass or principles,” said MP Jean-Denis Garon (Mirabel, Que.).Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant (Algonquin-Renfrew, Ont.) called the electric mandate punitive and unpopular. “Nobody wants them,” she said of electric vehicles. “This car ban struts around wearing a Che Guevara shirt.”Gallant warned the policy would backfire on consumers. “Just so Canadians understand, the Liberals are proposing to impose massive fines on carmakers that do not sell enough electric vehicles,” she said. “How will carmakers ensure they sell enough electric vehicles? They will do it by drastically raising the price of internal combustion vehicles.”
