Madam Speaker, Canadians want clean air and innovation, but they do not want and cannot afford another heavy-handed Ottawa mandate that drives up cost and takes away choice.
I have listened to the hon. member, and that is exactly what the Liberal “no more gas” policy does. It is not a target; it is a mandate backed by fines that will be passed down to the consumer. It is true that EV adoption has grown, as the hon. member said, but it has grown through choice, not coercion, and through incentives, infrastructure and demand working together. Today that balance is tenuous. Rebates have been cut, and as the hon. member said, charging stations are still missing in many rural areas, condo buildings and areas where there is only street parking. This is not smart climate policy; it is central planning at its worst.
The member said demand is going up, so why force Canadians to adopt EVs at a rate they do not want and cannot afford?