Pull plug on gas engine ban, Tories urge government
Enviro Minister Dabrusin insists ban on gas cars helps Canada's auto industry, despite automakers dismissing the ban as "complete fantasy"
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OTTAWA — It’s time to put the government’s planned gas engine ban in neutral.
That was the message from the Conservatives during Tuesday’s question period, as the Tories urged the Carney Liberals to end a planned ban on the sale of gas-powered passenger vehicles.
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“Workers and families across Canada, especially in rural and northern communities, can’t afford this dangerous Liberal experiment,” said Grande Prairie MP Chris Warkentin.
“It’s simple, Mr. Speaker, Canadians don’t want this shoved down their throat.”
Indeed, polling conducted earlier this year suggests the majority of Canadians aren’t a fan of this keystone policy of the Justin Trudeau Liberals, which calls for a total ban on the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles by 2035.
Transport Canada abruptly ended its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program earlier this year after it ran out of money.
That came just 12 months before the start of the multi-year EV sales mandate, where 20% of all new Canadian car sales must be zero-emission — gradually increasing to 100% within a decade.
In response, Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin accused the Tories of taking unfair aim at Canada’s auto industry.
“Leave it to the Conservatives to hit one of the most major industries that we have in our country, exactly the same time it’s being hit with unjustified tariffs in the United States,” she said, to jeers from the opposition benches.
“We stand with our auto workers, we’ve been investing in our auto industry, and we will keep making sure that we have strong union jobs.”
Canada’s auto industry have gone on record in their opposition to the Liberals’ plan, with Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) president Brian Kingston describing the Liberal policy earlier this year as “complete fantasy.”
“There is no pathway to 100% zero-emission vehicle sales in the next 10 years with the supports being provided to Canadians,” he said during a January 2025 news conference.
“Dictating what vehicles Canadians can and cannot buy, without providing them with the supports necessary to switch to electric is a made-in-Canada policy failure.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
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