Canadian premier slams "bizarrely impossible" federal electric vehicle mandate
At least one provincial government will do “everything within its legal jurisdiction” to make sure that the new federal mandate for electric vehicles doesn’t make its way into the province.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made the comments in reaction to the new federal Electric Vehicle Availability Standard being finalized on Tuesday.
That standard effectively means that the federal government is requiring all new cars to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
“Putting in place an Electric Vehicle Availability Standard fulfills a major climate commitment from our climate plan,” Steven Guilbeault, the minister of environment and climate change, said.
“Getting more electric vehicles on the road is another example of how we are taking climate action while helping make life more affordable.”
The mandate, however, struck a nerve out west.
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“Ottawa doesn’t even know”
Smith, who has already been at odds with the federal government over the Clean Electricity Regulations — invoking the so-called Sovereignty Act to fight those – didn’t take this announcement well, saying that the federal government’s electric vehicle approach, up until now, has been a “disaster.”
According to her, the federal commissioner found that if progress continues at the current rate, the federal government will reach only 1% of its target by 2030.
“Not only are there not enough electric vehicle chargers, Ottawa doesn’t even know where EV chargers are needed,” Smith said in a statement.
“Although it seems rather obvious to say, emissions targets and regulations must be realistic, achievable, and cannot result in multiple severe harms to millions of Canadians.”
Government of Alberta
The newly announced standard by the federal government is intended to ensure that Canada can achieve a national target of 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035.
The federal government said that the Canadian marketplace for passenger vehicles is already experiencing a rapid shift toward zero-emission vehicles.
“As pricing on select models has decreased and gas prices remain volatile, demand for electric vehicles has increased year over year,” reads its statement.
“In the last quarter alone, one out of every eight new cars sold across Canada was a zero-emission vehicle. And, in British Columbia and Quebec, which already have similar standards in place, new electric vehicles now account for one in five sales in those provinces.”
In October, the BC provincial government announced it will bump up its 100% target in the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 plan by five years to 2035.
The timeline changes are now 26% by 2026, 90% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.
Freezing “not an option” for Albertans
Alberta’s case, however, is different, according to Smith.
She said that the electric grids in that province are not equipped to handle the demand surge that a forced full-scale transition to EVs would need to accommodate the timelines in Ottawa’s regulations.
“These new regulations will result in a shortage and rationing of traditional vehicles starting in 2026 and even earlier, as millions of consumers in need of combustion engine vehicles, especially those living in smaller municipalities that commute long distances, will be unable to power or afford an EV but also won’t be able to find an appropriate vehicle to drive in their circumstances,” she said.
“Apparently, the federal government doesn’t understand that freezing with their families in -30°C on the side of a rural road is not an option for Albertans.”