Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise today again to speak to our Conservative motion as the member of Parliament for Oshawa. We know that the motion is to end the ban on gas-powered vehicles, not to stop the production of electric vehicles in any way.

My city has been the heartbeat of Canada's automotive industry for over a century now. For generations, Oshawa has helped drive this country forward, literally and figuratively. From the early days of McLaughlin Motor Car Co. to becoming the national headquarters for General Motors Canada, my community has been building the vehicles that Canadians rely on every single day.

The people of Oshawa know cars. We do not just buy them; we design them, we engineer them and we build them while also utilizing the CTC McLaughlin Advanced Technology Track, which supports building and combining software and hardware for advanced vehicle systems, helping make Oshawa and Durham Region leaders in automotive technology in Ontario. We have rolled up our sleeves through good times and bad. We have weathered plant closures and celebrated reopenings. Therefore, when the government tries to tell Canadians what kind of car they must drive, without listening to workers, to industry leaders or to the families who depend on affordable transportation, that is not leadership; it is simple overreach.

Even the president of General Motors Canada has said that no major automaker is even close to hitting the 2026 targets. He is calling for the entire program to be scrapped, not tweaked and not delayed but scrapped, because the unrealistic mandates would force automakers to restrict the sale of gas-powered vehicles just to comply, leading to job losses in dealerships and in manufacturing companies, to lost revenue for manufacturers and to higher prices for consumers. This typical Liberal one-size-fits-all approach does not reflect reality in my community and in many, many communities around this country.

When do the 2026 cars start rolling out? We used to say that we would expect them to roll out in the fall for the following year, but now the industry leaders are telling us that is not the case. They are starting to roll out right now, so this is a very important and timely debate.

The workers of General Motors in Oshawa who fought hard to keep the auto industry alive in this country deserve better than to be dictated to by politicians in Ottawa who have never punched a clock, perhaps, or maybe never even had to pay off a car loan. The Liberal government's top-down ban on gas-powered vehicles is not only unaffordable; it is also disconnected from reality. It threatens jobs, limits choice and raises prices on the very people who are already being squeezed by inflation, high taxes and rising debt.

In December 2022, the Canada Gazette, found on the Government of Canada website, in the regulatory impact analysis statement of the ban said this: “The proposed Amendments are expected to have a disproportionate impact on low-income households due to the higher upfront cost of ZEVs in early years and the potential for non-ZEV costs to increase due to a decreasing supply of these vehicles in response to the increasing ZEV sales targets.” It goes on to say, “The proposed Amendments would also disproportionately impact households living in rural and northern communities that may have lower access to public charging infrastructure”, and there is more to be said regarding that as well.

A skilled tradesperson in Oshawa hauling their gear in the dead of winter is not thinking about EV market share; they are thinking about whether their truck is going to start in -20°C or maybe whether they can afford the payments. These are the people the Liberal elite never think about, ever.

Canadians are not anti-EV. We are already leading the way in clean tech and in sustainable manufacturing. Since 2020, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have announced nearly $1.5 billion of new job-creating investments in Canada, strengthening the automotive sector and its supply chains. These investments are driving growth across communities in parts manufacturing, logistics and technology development, reinforcing Canada's role in the global automotive industry.

As reported by the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, EV sales have collapsed in recent months, falling to just 7.5% in April 2025. There is no longer a pathway to achieving the government's mandated sales level of 20% by 2026. The auto manufacturers cannot meet these quotas. In fact, in Quebec, sales decreased by 75% in the first quarter of 2025. That is a 75% decrease in EV sales. If auto manufacturers cannot meet these quotas, then there will be penalties. We know this. It was said before. Let us say a company is supposed to sell 10,000 vehicles in 2026, 2,000 of them must be EVs and they only end up selling 1,000. That is a cost of $20 million to the manufacturer, so the government does not have to worry about the consumer carbon tax anymore. They probably looked at this policy and thought, “This is a new carbon tax. We will just get it this way from Canadians.”

The Liberal government will impose this $20,000 per vehicle tax at the expense of Canadians. Essentially, the result of the legislation would be lower vehicle sales, higher vehicle prices for Canadians and fewer jobs in the sector. It will undermine consumer affordability and choice, specifically at a time of rising costs, limited demand and growing uncertainty about infrastructure readiness.

The auto industry is already under stress because of the U.S. tariffs. I know all members of the House will agree that now more than ever, we must collectively protect this vital sector. Causing further avoidable harm would be irresponsible, jeopardizing Canadian jobs, investment, affordable access and choice for essential transportation needs and the stability of our economy. If our auto regulations are not aligned with those of the United States, for instance, it will threaten Canada's industrial future, and we risk losing our auto industry, which is why we must let the market and the industry dictate, not the Liberal government.

Conservatives reject this approach. We believe in common sense. We believe in trusting Canadians, not punishing them. Canadians deserve freedom to choose what they say, what they think, where their money goes and, yes, what they drive, whether it be gas-powered, electrical or both.

We support cleaner technology. We support lower emissions. We support a strong, competitive Canadian auto sector. We do not support telling working-class Canadians that they must spend $15,000 to $20,000 more for a vehicle that does not fit their life or their region just to satisfy a mandate drawn up by this out-of-touch Liberal government. That is what Conservatives stand for. It is what we will always stand for.

The auto sector in Oshawa and across Ontario has a delicate balance. Our workers have proven time and time again that they can compete with the best in the world, but they need stable, realistic policies, not sweeping bans that ignore infrastructure, regional needs and consumer realities.

Let us be honest: This ban is not going to hurt the Prime Minister, his Bay Street donors or many of the elites across the aisle. They will still drive what they want. They will still get chauffeured around in motorcades with idling engines, and they will still fly their private jets to climate conferences overseas. Working Canadians will be left holding the bag.

Rhonda Kirkland

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