Up next in 10
Get rid of EV mandate! Let the market, not the government, dictate
Jul 23, 2025
We have to get rid of these mandates that companies won't be able to meet their targets. -- This video has automatic dubbed versions. Go to Setting / Audio track and select your preferred language among the following: - English - Dutch - French - German - Hindi - Indonesian - Italian - Japanese - Korean - Polish - Portuguese - Spanish Thanks for watching!
View Video Transcript
0:02
Hi there, Michael Sarabi with CPAC. Uh
0:04
the question is actually for you,
0:06
Premier Ford, and I appreciate today's
0:08
announcement has to do with pipelines
0:10
and energy corridors, but given that
0:12
amongst the regulations being pointed
0:14
out is the EV mandate. What does today's
0:18
announcement, how does that affect your
0:20
past enthusiasm to develop battery
0:22
plants in Ontario as well as have EVs uh
0:26
manufactured in Ontario? Well, I always
0:29
believe I'm a big proponent of the the
0:30
market dictates. Uh the market will
0:33
dictate, not governments will dictate.
0:35
Uh we have to get rid of these mandates
0:38
that companies won't be able to meet
0:39
their targets. Um and let's let's
0:42
continue investing. I'm I'm confident
0:45
that uh eventually uh the EV sector per
0:49
se uh will will continue growing, but
0:53
right now uh the people are going to
0:55
decide. But let's not slow down on on
0:58
building the the battery plants and any
1:01
other EV plants, but who knows us the
1:03
best but the auto sector and they'll
1:05
they'll determine that. But we're going
1:06
to continue investing in the in the
1:08
market itself.
1:11
I'll just I'll just add a couple things.
1:13
Uh I think Doug produces 1.2 million
1:16
cars and can Canadians buy about 1.2
1:19
million cars. So we've as a province
1:22
taken the leadership in saying we're
1:23
going to prioritize fleet vehicles that
1:25
are made and finished in Ontario and
1:27
there's some great options. There's
1:29
light duty vehicles, heavy duty
1:31
vehicles, there's hybrid vehicles and so
1:33
uh we would hope that others would look
1:35
at it in the in the same way that if the
1:37
Americans are going to take a hostile
1:39
approach I guess our auto industry I
1:41
think it's up to us to to be supportive
1:43
when it comes to electric vehicles. We
1:45
only have a very small percentage of
1:46
electric vehicles that have been
1:47
purchased in Alberta. And as I
1:49
mentioned, if we were to to try to meet
1:51
the mandate in Alberta alone, we'd have
1:53
to buy all of the low emissions vehicles
1:56
currently being produced in Ontario,
1:57
which is impossible for the entire
1:58
country to achieve, which means that
2:01
this policy is forcing us to look
2:02
outside of supporting for Ontario in
2:04
order to be able to achieve it. And I
2:06
guess the last thing I'd say is that um
2:08
we we think that we're trying to build
2:10
our hydrogen economy in Alberta. We
2:12
bought uh the Edmonton International
2:14
Airport bought a 100 Toyota Misu which
2:17
are is the passenger vehicle. We're
2:19
doing a dual fuel um a pilot with the
2:22
trucking industry. Uh CP is building
2:25
hydrogen locomotives in our province. We
2:27
have uh hydrogen for home heating
2:29
hydrogen as well that we're looking for
2:31
electricity. But I would love to see the
2:34
Ontario manufacturers figure out a way
2:36
that we could perhaps have an hydrogen
2:38
combustion engine. I know Toyota is made
2:40
here and then that may be a way for us
2:42
to reach zero emissions targets a
2:44
different way. I think I think that we
2:46
have to allow the market and innovators
2:49
to be able to meet the needs of of each
2:51
individual marketplace. And so I'm
2:53
hoping we can have a really constructive
2:54
conversation with Ontario about that
2:56
now. I've begun it as well with uh with
2:58
individuals with Toyota who've been
3:00
who've been in our province and and and
3:02
so let's just have a little more
3:03
latitude to allow for the market to work
3:05
and innovation to work. That's what I
3:07
would say and I think we can all benefit
3:08
from that.
3:10
And maybe speak a little bit on that. Uh
3:12
as Doug said or Premier Ford, pardon me,
3:14
said the um you know, the market will
3:16
drive this and I I think we're seeing
3:18
that as well. And and um we shouldn't
3:21
forget about just how integrated our our
3:23
economy is uh in interproincially, but
3:26
also across North America. And this is
3:28
maybe something for us to remember as we
3:30
uh engage with uh the Trump
3:32
administration and the current US
3:33
administration. But we are very very
3:35
integrated. We're integrated for a
3:36
reason because it's the most efficient
3:38
to produce things. We had a steak
3:39
yesterday. Um like that animal is likely
3:42
born in Saskatchewan, finished in
3:43
Alberta, and is now sold by an Ontario
3:46
ger out here. Uh that that's how
3:48
integrated our our Canadian economy is
3:50
on every front. Um when it comes to uh
3:53
manufacturing, whether they be e
3:55
vehicles, gas powered vehicles, whatever
3:56
that is, uh you're going to see that
3:58
largely happening in Ontario from a
3:59
Canadian perspective. Um but as we move
4:03
to EVs uh there is also further
4:05
integration that is occurring there.
4:06
There's rare earths uh critical minerals
4:09
that are going to come from Quebec, the
4:10
ring of fire in Ontario, but also from
4:12
Western Canada as well. We've opened a a
4:14
processing facility for rare earths of
4:16
which there's much interest around the
4:18
world that would ultimately in the
4:20
future build the battery elements for uh
4:22
just such vehicles as the market
4:24
determines uh the the outbuild of that.
4:26
And so, you know, I I think uh often we
4:28
get um you know, thoughts that, you
4:31
know, this is largely an impact only to
4:33
Ontario. Um but we are so very
4:35
integrated across our provinces, whether
4:36
it's in our food production, whether
4:38
it's in our energy uh security and and
4:40
what we provide to other Canadians,
4:41
which was in a former question. Um or or
4:44
more generally in our our economy. Uh
4:46
when one decision is made in one part of
4:48
the country, it often has a ripple
4:50
effect in other areas whether we
4:51
recognize it or not.
#Automotive Industry
#Law & Government
#Public Policy