National

Automakers 'cautiously optimistic' on EV mandate changes after meeting with PM

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jul, 2025 09:56 AM

The head of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association says he's "cautiously optimistic" the federal government will repeal its electric vehicle sales mandate.

Brian Kingston was among several auto industry executives who met with Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday in Ottawa.

Along with discussing the impact of U.S. tariffs, the automakers urged Carney to get rid of the EV mandate, saying there's no way the industry can meet the targets it sets out.

The mandate policy states that, as of next year, 20 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada must be zero-emission, and that target rises annually to 100 per cent by 2035.

Kingston said if automakers can't meet the 2026 target, they'll have to pull about one million gas-powered vehicles from the market in order to comply with the sales mandate.

The most recent data from Statistics Canada shows EV sales in Canada dropped to 7.5 per cent in April.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Mounties in Prince George issue warning over 'hit man' scam

Police in British Columbia are warning the public about what they describe as a "hit man" scam. Prince George RCMP say the fraud scheme involves victims who receive texts or emails with threatening messages saying the sender is being sent to kill them.

Mounties in Prince George issue warning over 'hit man' scam

Rotting food and closed highways a concern as Jasper evacuation nears second week

Parks Canada says it realizes wildfire evacuees from Jasper worry about what rotting food will do to their homes and that others wonder when a critical highway through the national park will reopen, but it says the blaze continues to burn out of control and remains a threat to the town. A statement from the federal agency on Sunday said requests have poured in from people asking for help in retrieving important personal items or to remove food, fridges and freezers.

Rotting food and closed highways a concern as Jasper evacuation nears second week

Slocan region in Interior B.C. evacuated due to multiple wildfires

The mayor of Slocan says the skies were filled with ominous thick smoke while she drove out of her community that's now under an evacuation order as wildfires burn on either side. Jessica Lunn says most of Slocan's approximately 370 residents had already left Sunday morning, as she and her family evacuated and firefighters set up sprinklers to protect structures and prepared to pump water from the nearby lake.

Slocan region in Interior B.C. evacuated due to multiple wildfires

Walmart closes after fire

A Walmart in East Vancouver has been closed after a fire that appears to have been deliberately set Saturday caused millions of dollars of damage. A Facebook post from the store on Grandview Highway says all employees and costumers are safe but calls the incident "shocking, dangerous and shameful."

Walmart closes after fire

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Weather this winter wiped out almost all of B.C.'s peaches, apricots and nectarines for the year and severely damaged cherry orchards. In mid-January, the Interior saw several days of frigid temperatures that killed off active buds in trees that had only just begun to recover from the 2021 heat dome and had gone through a harsh winter in 2022.

B.C. tree fruit grower co-operative shuts down after 88 years, citing low volume

Four people dead after crash involving semi truck and SUV outside Calgary

Four people are dead after a crash involving an SUV and a semi truck hauling a grain trailer at a rural intersection northeast of Calgary. RCMP say they were called about a crash Friday morning at the intersection of highways 9 and 564 in Rocky View County.