GAGNON: Time for Carney to give up his ban on gas and diesel vehicles 

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Prime Minister Mark Carney is ignoring warnings from taxpayers and the auto industry.

Yet his government is barrelling ahead with its plan to ban the sale of new gas or diesel cars and trucks.

Starting next year, one in five new vehicles sold in Canada must be electric or plug-in hybrid.

By 2035, buying a new gas or diesel car anywhere in the country will be forbidden. New traditional hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, will also be banned. That massive shift will come with big costs.

The House of Commons had a chance to reverse this mandate, but Liberal, NDP and Bloc MPs shut it down.

Despite repeated warnings from automakers, Ottawa is doubling down.

For months, manufacturers have sounded the alarm and their concerns have kept growing. The CEOs of Ford and Stellantis met with Carney to warn about battery shortages and limited production capacity.

These aren’t ideological complaints — they’re business realities.

Automakers say supply chains can’t keep up and that means cars will get more expensive for Canadian families. Fewer affordable vehicles will be available. Lower-income families will be hurt most as they are priced out of the market for cars altogether.

It’s not just automakers raising red flags. Even federal departments are sounding the alarm.

Transport Canada quietly released a report right after the election. The report warns that rural and remote areas will lose vehicle access if gas options disappear.

Participants in government-organized focus groups raised many concerns “about infrastructure and service capacity, including concerns about the number of recharge stations, range anxiety, and the capacity of the power grid to support EVs.”

Families and small businesses outside big cities rely on affordable transportation. It also shows that low-income Canadians will be hardest hit by Carney’s ban on gas and diesel vehicle sales.

Ninety-nine per cent of people earning under $60,000 rely on gas cars. For Canadians earning under $40,000, it’s 95%.

These are the very people Ottawa should be trying to protect, not hammer with ideologically motivated policies that will make life harder.

It makes no sense for the government to floor the gas pedal on a policy like this, one that punishes people with modest incomes and those far from urban centres. They’re the ones who can least afford it.

Most Canadians oppose the government’s plan to ban gas and diesel vehicles. A Léger poll shows 56% oppose it.

This is about much more than consumer choice. This is about taxpayers’ money and that’s critical as the federal debt continues to soar.

Natural Resources Canada says shifting to electric vehicles could cost over $300 billion by 2040, mainly to expand the power grid.

So, the big question remains: Who’s paying that tab for the ban on new gas and diesel vehicles?

Normal Canadians, through higher taxes and soaring power bills.

Nearly half of Canadians are already losing sleep over the cost of living and personal finance stress, not knowing if they’ll be able to pay their rent or grocery bill this week.

To add insult to injury, they will soon have to pay for a ban they don’t want.

Meanwhile, Ottawa is sinking further into debt. The federal deficit could reach up to $100 billion this year. And taxpayers are already on the hook for more than a billion dollars a week to cover the interest charges on the existing federal debt.

Canadians don’t want to pay for Ottawa’s 2035 gas-vehicle ban and they simply can’t afford it.

Automakers have been clear: They can’t meet these unrealistic quotas and taxpayers will be left picking up the tab.

It’s often said that the first quality of a leader is the ability to listen.

It’s time for Carney to listen to taxpayers, the auto industry and economic indicators and cancel the 2035 gas and diesel vehicle ban.
 
Nicolas Gagnon is the Quebec director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation