Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin says permanently scrapping federal electric vehicle sales mandates will save Canadians an estimated $57.6 billion over the next 25 years.Blacklock's Reporter says Dabrusin served legal notice Saturday that the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, suspended six months ago, will be repealed along with its sales quotas.“Once the zero emission vehicle requirements are repealed, companies would no longer have obligations to comply with them nor to calculate and report on compliance units or deficits for their fleets,” Dabrusin wrote in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.Federal figures estimate eliminating the requirements will avoid $57.6 billion in costs between 2026 and 2050, equivalent to about $2.3 billion annually.The government acknowledged eliminating the mandate is expected to result in fewer electric vehicles being sold.“Repeal of the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard is estimated to result in fewer zero emission vehicles on the market and fewer of these vehicles purchased in Canada,” the statement said.The Liberal government had required zero-emission vehicles to account for at least 20% of new vehicle sales in 2026. The quota was scheduled to climb to 60% by 2030 before reaching 100% in 2035.The Department of Environment had previously promoted the mandate as a way to reduce pollution, health-care expenses and costs for consumers.“Electric vehicles bring health benefits and cost savings to Canadians,” Megan Nichols, assistant deputy environment minister, testified before the House of Commons environment committee Nov. 3.“They reduce air pollution in Canadian communities and reduce health care costs.”Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended the mandate Feb. 5.Conservative MP Vincent Ho welcomed the move at the time, telling the Commons science committee the Liberals were adopting a policy Conservatives had already advocated.“It’s always a good day for Canadians when the Liberal government borrows Conservative ideas,” said Ho..Conservatives had introduced a House of Commons motion in 2025 calling for the mandate to be repealed.Carney and other Liberal MPs opposed the motion, which was defeated in a 194-141 vote.Dabrusin's department is now warning that maintaining the electric vehicle requirements could put additional financial pressure on Canada's automotive industry.“These requirements known as the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard would place financial pressure on automakers as they navigate evolving market and trade conditions in the North American market that could make compliance challenging,” said the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.Federal officials also warned keeping the mandate could hurt economic output and employment in the auto sector.“Maintaining zero emission vehicle requirements when the capacity of the Canadian auto sector to adjust is compromised by the economic challenges it now faces could also lead to contractions in sectoral gross domestic product and employment,” the statement said.“Any reduction in the risk of job losses in the Canadian auto sector needs to be considered.”
