Feds to unveil proposed changes to EV sales mandate this winter

OTTAWA – The federal government will unveil proposed changes to its electric vehicles sales mandate this winter, federal officials say.

Mark Cauchi, director general of energy and transportation at Environment and Climate Change Canada, told MPs on the House of Commons environment committee today his department is looking to share the results of its highly-anticipated review of the mandate by the end of the year.

On Sept. 11, Prime Minister Mark Carney abruptly paused the rollout of the EV mandate for 2026 and launched a 60-day review of it.

Starting next year, manufacturers were supposed to ensure that 20 per cent of all new cars, SUVs and light-duty trucks sold are zero-emission vehicles, including plug-in hybrids.

But with U.S. tariffs hammering Canada’s auto sector, Carney exempted carmakers from those sales targets for a year to help give them liquidity — though those carmakers also have called for the complete repeal of the sales mandate.

The latest data from Statistics Canada shows EVs made up 8.77 per cent of new vehicle sales in August, though some customers may be holding out for the promised revival of federal subsidies for new EVs.