Markets, i.e., Canadians, should determine the pace at which a new technology is adopted economywide, not government planners
Canada is not nearly ready for the wholesale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). That was the message of the letter I sent to every member of Parliament recently, urging them to drop the “Electric Vehicle Availability Standard” introduced by the Trudeau government late last year.
That’s the policy that mandates that all new vehicles sold in Canada must be electric by 2035. There is no way, considering the economic, technological and infrastructural realities of our country — and our world — where this is possible.
Stubbornly attempting to achieve this goal would do serious damage to our economy, leaving Canadian taxpayers on the hook for generations to come. Already, billions of tax dollars have been handed out in subsidies to companies that have no accountability to the Canadian taxpayer. This experiment in societal re-engineering will disproportionately harm Canadian workers and families, especially those who live in rural communities.
For the rest of this column: https://financialpost.com/opinion/time-abandon-reckless-ev-mandates