Mr. Speaker, I am sharing my time with the member for Central Newfoundland.

Canadians are being sold a shiny, Liberal red, electric dream, but under the hood, it is full of empty promises and hidden costs.

The Liberal government's plan to ban gas-powered vehicles by 2035 might sound bold and exciting, but when we look closer, it is really a blueprint for confusion, higher prices and broken supply chains. Canadians did not vote for the electric vehicle mandate; it is being dropped on them like a federal hammer. It is not policy; it is a proclamation. It is a one-size-fits-all order from Ottawa that ignores cost, geography and common sense. Canadians should not be forced to buy electric vehicles, especially when the Liberals have not fixed the infrastructure needed to support them.

The Liberal EV mandate pushes people into expensive new cars without making them affordable. The mandate also fails to consider the everyday Canadians who rely on passenger trucks for their livelihoods: tradespeople, landscapers and other small business owners whose work depends on their vehicles. These workers cannot afford to wait hours to recharge while working on the clock. It ignores the realities that many Canadians face every day when it comes to transportation.

The government announced that automakers will have just 12 years to phase out combustion engine cars, trucks and SUVs. It will set strict annual targets to increase electric vehicle sales, and any automaker that misses these targets will face fines of $20,000 per vehicle. What does that mean for carmakers and Canadians? For carmakers, it means millions of dollars in penalties. We all know who will pay for that in the end: Canadian families and consumers will face higher prices, which they cannot afford.

In effect, this is a $20,000 tax on every new internal combustion engine vehicle. It is no wonder the automakers are speaking out against it. Ford Canada's CEO has warned that without enough charging stations and without addressing affordability, many Canadians will be left behind and will not be able to switch to electric vehicles. Stellantis Canada also points out that government support needs to be in line with what the industry can realistically deliver.

It is one thing to set targets on paper; it is another thing entirely to make those targets achievable on the ground. Too many times, the Liberal government is disconnected from the practical realities of the people it is supposed to serve. This looks like just another example. Right now, about one in every 10 new vehicles registered in Canada is electric. That means the Liberals expect electric vehicle sales to double within just three years and then continue growing quickly after that. They have no credible plan whatsoever to do it, and certainly no plan to pay for it.

We know that vehicle markets are very different across the country. Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia meet or exceed the 20% EV sales goal, but many provinces are below 8%, and now both Quebec and B.C. have suspended their subsidies. Canadians should not have to buy vehicles they do not want. According to Statistics Canada, zero-emission vehicles were less than 9% of new vehicle registrations in 2025.

A lack of interest is not the only problem. Charging infrastructure seems to be heavily concentrated in just a few provinces. There are reportedly over 25,500 public charging ports across Canada, but around 85% of those appear to be in only three provinces. Many EV owners report that many of those chargers are often too busy, resulting in long wait times. Worse yet, many are inoperative.

There is so much work to be done, but the government has not done the work to maintain our existing charging infrastructure, much less plan for new, reliable infrastructure. About 80% of electric vehicle charging happens overnight at home, making access to home charging essential for EV ownership, but many Canadians do not have that option. People who live in apartments, condos or rental buildings often face another challenge: Charging stations are unavailable or are even banned by landlords or building regulations. This creates a serious obstacle. How can the Liberal government expect people to switch to an electric vehicle if they cannot easily charge it where they live?

The government also seems to have overlooked another big limitation for the many long-distance commuters. In Cambridge, as in most of the country, we have winter. In places where winter is measured in wind chill and snowbanks, an unreliable battery is not an inconvenience; it is a safety hazard. Ottawa cannot mandate away Canadian weather. In the coldest months, EV driving range can drop by up to 40%. For those people with short commutes, that might be acceptable, but for many others it becomes impractical at its best.

Experts estimate that by 2030, Canada will have to manage over 125,000 tonnes of battery waste. We know that Canada needs a clear and comprehensive plan to recycle electric vehicle batteries, but once again, the Liberal government has failed to put one forward. Worse yet, the mandate will add hidden costs to every Canadian household.

Increased demand for electricity to power all the vehicles will drive up energy prices, and Canada's electricity grid is not ready for the surge. The Canadian Climate Institute says that to meet net-zero emissions by 2050, Canada's electricity generation must double or even triple. This means building new power plants, upgrading transmission lines and spending billions to modernize the grid. That would require a plan and a budget.

Jobs are at risk. Canada's automotive industry employs over 500,000 people in factories, parts manufacturing, dealerships and repair shops. Electric vehicles have fewer parts and require less maintenance, which means fewer jobs for skilled workers and mechanics. Compared to traditional internal combustion vehicles, electric vehicles cost more to buy, which means fewer sales, which means, again, fewer jobs. Without a clear and fair transition plan, thousands of Canadian workers face an uncertain future. Small garages and other businesses that rely on gas vehicles are also at risk.

Meanwhile, Canadian families are already struggling; inflation, higher interest rates and rising housing costs mean they have less money to spend. It is no wonder they do not trust the Liberals' EV mandate, and Canadians are not buying it, literally. A recent Ipsos poll found that 55% of Canadians disagree with the mandate to make all new car sales electric or zero-emission by 2035. Everyday Canadians are opposed to the mandate, and so are the experts. Professor Ross McKitrick at the University of Guelph says that the mandate “will have sufficiently large negative consequences”. What might those consequences be? He says that the mandate could “effectively destroy the Canadian auto industry and will cause widespread economic losses elsewhere.” It is incredible.

People understand that the Liberal government is not acting in their best interests or according to common sense. People understand that they cannot afford what the Liberals are selling. Banning new gas-powered cars will make it harder for families to afford a vehicle. As the supply of new gas-powered vehicles dries up, the used car market could become increasingly volatile, with higher prices at first and far fewer affordable options down the road. It seems that the government needs to be reminded that in many parts of this country, including in my riding of Cambridge, and in North Dumfries, cars are a necessity not a luxury. It is not always possible to take transit, as there are still places where transit is inadequate or non-existent.

The Liberal government likes to play a constant game of hide-and-seek, hiding real solutions while seeking headlines. It hides behind flashy announcements but fails to deliver the infrastructure and plans Canadians actually need. It is the same Liberal formula: big talk, no delivery, no pipelines, no housing and no budget, just hide-and-seek with Canadians' hopes and wallets. The mandate is not about helping Canadians; it is about telling them what to do. The Liberal government seems to think it can decide what kind of car people can drive, how much they will pay and where they are supposed to charge it, whether the infrastructure exists or not.

On this side of the House, we believe in something pretty simple: choice. We trust Canadians, not Ottawa, to decide what works for their life. We stand with the drivers, the auto workers, the mechanics and every Canadian who keeps this country running and just wants a vehicle that fits their needs and their budget. The mandate is not a road map; it is a dead end, with higher prices, fewer jobs and fewer choices for the people who can least afford it. It is a bit like selling snow shovels in July: completely out of season and nobody asked for it.

Canadians want real solutions that keep our economy moving, our shelves stocked and their family on the road. When it comes to running a country, common sense works a lot better than a Liberal-issued mandate.

Connie Cody

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