Published on
Montreal, February 5, 2026 — Équiterre denounces the Canadian government’s decision to cancel the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS) and to rely primarily on vehicle emissions standards to shape the future of Canada’s automobile fleet.
“This decision sends our automobile industry into a regressive spiral at a time when the global trend is clearly toward electrification. For a government that claims to be a strong supporter of innovation and new technologies, it’s upsetting to see it focusing on the gas engine - a technology that dates back to the 19th century,” said Blandine Sebileau, Équiterre’s Sustainable Mobility Analyst.
The regulation for electric vehicle availability would have ensured that Canadians would be among the first to buy the vehicles whose manufacturing is subsidized by our tax dollars.
“After investing billions of dollars of public money to support the auto industry, the government is now backing away from requiring results on electrification from manufacturers and from holding them accountable,” added the analyst.
The federal regulatory framework, which has proven effective in Quebec in particular, was developed over the past several years, but the government is now attempting to reinvent the wheel. Équiterre does not see this as an optimal use of public funds.
More carrots for the auto industry
Vehicle emissions standards already exist in Canada and have never ensured a sufficient supply of affordable EVs or helped achieve the volumes needed to transform the vehicle fleet, according to a 2024 study by Équiterre, Environmental Defence, and the David Suzuki Foundation.
“Reinvesting time and public funds to repackage an existing regulatory framework instead of staying the course with a standard that was highly effective constitutes a troubling waste of public resources,” the analyst noted.
“In this context, bringing back purchase subsidies amounts to continuing to offer carrots to the industry without any sticks. We’ll end up with the same results we get every time the government hands out billions without requirements attached,” explained Blandine Sebileau.
The potential of affordable electric vehicle imports
Équiterre acknowledges that the Canada–China agreement and the memorandum of understanding with South Korea are steps in the right direction toward reducing reliance on a North American auto industry that is stuck in a bygone era. These measures should allow for a greater diversity of models that better reflect consumers’ needs and budgets.
However, in the absence of an electric vehicle availability standard, these imports will remain marginal and insufficient to offset the abandoned regulation. This approach will translate into a delay of several years in the electrification of Canada’s automobile fleet.
A blow to public health and the climate
“By cancelling this regulation, the government is depriving Canadians of cleaner air, greater access to electric vehicles, and a credible pathway to meeting our climate targets,” concluded Blandine Sebileau.
Because of this setback, a highly polluting gasoline-powered vehicle fleet will be maintained for several more years. Preserving the electric vehicle availability standard would have made it possible to prevent 11,000 premature deaths, create 600,000 green jobs, and generate more than $78 billion in net benefits by 2050.
Équiterre's offices are located on Indigenous lands that have not been ceded by treaty, which we now call Montreal and Quebec City. We recognize that Indigenous peoples have protected their territories since immemorial times and have used their traditional knowledge to guard the lands and waters. We are grateful to live on these lands and are committed to continuing our efforts to protect them. Read more »
For more information:
media@equiterre.org
514-605-2000
