Automakers ‘cautiously optimistic’ on EV mandate changes after meeting with PM

By Canadian Press on July 3, 2025.

OTTAWA — The head of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association says he’s “cautiously optimistic” the federal government will repeal its electric vehicle sales mandate.

Brian Kingston was among several auto industry executives who met with Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday in Ottawa.

Along with discussing the impact of U.S. tariffs, the automakers urged Carney to get rid of the EV mandate, saying there’s no way the industry can meet the targets it sets out.

The mandate policy states that, as of next year, 20 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada must be zero-emission, and that target rises annually to 100 per cent by 2035.

Kingston said if automakers can’t meet the 2026 target, they’ll have to pull about one million gas-powered vehicles from the market in order to comply with the sales mandate.

The most recent data from Statistics Canada shows EV sales in Canada dropped to 7.5 per cent in April.