Ontario asks B.C., Quebec to drop electric vehicle targets

By Canadian Press on March 18, 2026.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is asking his counterparts in Quebec and British Columbia to drop their electric-vehicle sales targets, saying they are making the country less competitive.

In the fall, both provinces scaled back or dropped their previous goals of having all new vehicle sales be zero emissions in 2035, but Ford says they should go further.

He says in letters sent today to the premiers that Ontario’s auto sector is an economic driver for the country, employing nearly 100,000 people.

Ford says that as the United States rolls back its electric vehicle policies, having sales targets and mandates in some Canadian provinces creates a fragmented and uncompetitive environment that pushes investment and production out of the country.

At an unrelated press conference today, Ford expanded on his letter, saying that he is “all about the environment,” but having such emissions rules at this time doesn’t fit with a “Team Canada” approach to dealing with the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Quebec now has a target of making 90 per cent of new vehicle sales hybrid or electric in 2035, and B.C. scrapped its mandate but promised to introduce legislation this year to set new targets.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press