Thank you very much for the opportunity to be with you today to discuss the electric vehicle availability standard.
I'm Keith Stewart. I'm a senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada and a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto, where I teach a course on energy and environmental policy.
The electric vehicle availability standard is an important part of Canada's climate action plan. The transition to electric vehicles helps us keep our air clean and reduces our monthly bills while driving cars that are not only comfortable and reliable, but also cheaper to drive and maintain. All of these benefits are now in jeopardy.
I understand that in this era of elbows up, all discussions of public policy must begin with a hockey metaphor, so please excuse this tortured analogy. If you are serious about winning the Stanley Cup, you don't trade away your star forward because you have a good goalie. By winning the Stanley Cup, I mean fulfilling Canada's international commitment on climate change. The star forward is the electric vehicle availability standard.
Let's start with what the government seems to be getting right. The goalie in this metaphor is industrial carbon pricing. Good goaltending is vital, which is why I think the government should strengthen the existing industrial carbon price and apply the federal backstop in provinces whose regimes don't measure up.
Industrial carbon pricing does some things—like reducing emissions from large industrial facilities—really well. I'd refer you to the stellar work of the Canadian Climate Institute on how it can do those things even better. However, there are necessary things it doesn't do well, like convincing North American car companies to make affordable electric vehicles rather than gas-guzzling SUVs or getting solar panels on the roofs of your constituents' homes.
To return to my hockey metaphor, even if you have a great goalie, you are never going to win a game, much less the cup, unless somebody scores on the opposing net. I'm concerned that the current government is considering trading away all of our goal scorers. The consumer carbon tax is retired, and the Impact Assessment Act is on the injury list thanks to Bill C-5, which can exempt fossil fuel megaprojects from environmental laws. It also appears that our star defencemen, the oil and gas emissions cap and north coast oil tanker ban, are on the trading block as part of a potential grand bargain to enable a massive new oil sands pipeline.
We're here today to talk with the star forward who's currently riding the bench—the electric vehicle availability standard. It's time to put a retooled EVAS back in the game so it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, make electric vehicles more available and affordable for consumers and future-proof Canada's auto sector. These are my top three recommendations for the revised EVAS.
First, prioritize a strong Canadian availability standard over harmonizing with the Trump administration or even the Biden-era vehicle emission standards. You could reward domestic assembly through extra partial credits for vehicles assembled in Canada and/or with a battery manufactured in Canada.
Second, keep the 2030 and 2050 targets. This will send a strong signal to vehicle manufacturers that we are joining the world outside Trump's America in electrifying transportation, so they can skate to where the puck is going.
Third, build in measures to make EVs more affordable. This could include extra credits for affordable electric vehicles. This will offer carmakers greater flexibility while doing more to drive EV affordability and address that top barrier to adoption.
Thanks for your time. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.