Experts Warn Carney’s Auto Plan May Slow Canada’s Shift to Electric Vehicles

OTTAWA :Despite broad approval from provincial governments and auto manufacturers, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new automotive strategy may fail to accelerate Canada’s transition to electric vehicles at the pace promised by the federal government, climate experts warn.

On Thursday, Carney officially ended Canada’s electric vehicle sales mandate, reinstated purchase incentives for consumers and announced that stricter fuel efficiency standards would replace the previous policy framework. Premiers in Ontario and Alberta welcomed the move, while major auto manufacturers described it as providing “welcome policy stability.”

The prime minister said his government expects electric vehicles to account for 75 per cent of new vehicle sales by 2035, even without a mandatory sales requirement. However, several climate change experts have expressed skepticism, arguing the revised approach weakens Canada’s ability to meet its climate targets.

“This policy is giving in way too much,” said Simon Donner, a climate scientist and professor at the University of British Columbia, in an interview with CBC Radio’s The House. Donner and other experts argue that transportation — one of Canada’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions after oil and gas production — must undergo a rapid transformation if the country is to achieve net-zero emissions.

Emissions from cars, SUVs and trucks have steadily increased over the past several decades. Experts say a large-scale shift to low- or zero-emission vehicles is essential to reversing that trend.

Carney’s broader climate policy record has also drawn criticism. On his first day in office, he eliminated the consumer carbon tax, saying it had become too divisive. Since then, his government has weakened plans for an oil and gas emissions cap, abandoned a previous commitment to plant two billion trees, and signaled support for a potential Alberta-backed bitumen pipeline to British Columbia’s coast.

Critics argue these moves, combined with the rollback of the EV mandate, could undermine Canada’s long-term climate commitments, even as the government insists its revised strategy will balance economic growth with environmental responsibility.