Evidence of meeting #16 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was evas.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Members speaking

Before the committee

Wiseman  Senior Climate Policy Manager, The Atmospheric Fund
Sinasac  Director of Standards and Government Affairs, Electro-Federation Canada
Sebileau  Sustainable mobility analyst, Équiterre
Côté  Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association des véhicules électriques du Québec
Adams  President, Global Automakers of Canada
Pascalon  Senior project manager, Propulsion Québec

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

It is 100%. It's not a question of increasing choice. It's a mandate by design.

11:50 a.m.

Director of Standards and Government Affairs, Electro-Federation Canada

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

It will be.... One hundred per cent is 100%.

11:50 a.m.

Director of Standards and Government Affairs, Electro-Federation Canada

Cherith Sinasac

That's why we're suggesting going down to 80%—to keep the strength of the EVAS but ensure that Canadians don't feel that it's a mandate.

This has become a political lightning rod and—

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Maybe justifiably—

11:50 a.m.

Director of Standards and Government Affairs, Electro-Federation Canada

Cherith Sinasac

—this is maybe an opportunity.... It's essential that you keep the strength of the EVAS.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Thank you.

Ms. Sebileau, did you poll satisfaction results in rural areas? Can you break that out—rural versus urban, Lower Mainland, B.C., versus the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe?

11:50 a.m.

Sustainable mobility analyst, Équiterre

Blandine Sebileau

The poll that I mentioned was for Quebec. It was linked to our company in Quebec.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

It was only for Quebec. Did it separate out rural versus urban?

11:50 a.m.

Sustainable mobility analyst, Équiterre

Blandine Sebileau

I don't have the numbers, but—

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Okay. Thank you.

11:50 a.m.

Sustainable mobility analyst, Équiterre

Blandine Sebileau

—it's 99%, so it wouldn't make a lot of difference.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

You could argue that it's people who have already bought EVs and who have already committed to that—

11:50 a.m.

Sustainable mobility analyst, Équiterre

Blandine Sebileau

Yes, or have used—

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

—and that it doesn't include any stretch of the balance of the population.

All of the witnesses.... I would like to follow the tack of my Bloc colleague.

Ms. Sinasac, you're fully funded by the electrical manufacturers industry.

11:55 a.m.

Director of Standards and Government Affairs, Electro-Federation Canada

Cherith Sinasac

We are a not-for-profit industry association.

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

However, it's fully funded by the electrical manufacturers.

11:55 a.m.

Director of Standards and Government Affairs, Electro-Federation Canada

Cherith Sinasac

Yes, we represent electrical and automation manufacturers and distributors.

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Okay. Thank you.

Mr. Wiseman, could you supply the committee with your funding structure, please?

11:55 a.m.

Senior Climate Policy Manager, The Atmospheric Fund

Evan Wiseman

Yes, absolutely.

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Ms. Sebileau, I'll ask you the same. Can you provide your funding structure to the committee—where your funding comes from?

11:55 a.m.

Sustainable mobility analyst, Équiterre

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

There is some question as to the funding agenda dictating outcomes of belief.

I have one final question, Mr. Wiseman, about your data on the health. Could you explain the change of inflection? As the projected outcomes get worse, there's an inflection, and the benefits drop and drop and drop.

My time is up. It's okay. Thank you.

The Chair Liberal Angelo Iacono

Thank you very much. I'm sorry about that.

Mr. Greaves, the floor is yours for five minutes.

Will Greaves Liberal Victoria, BC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, witnesses.

Thank you, colleagues, for having me today.

I'd like to follow up on the question that has been raised about the accuracy of some of the information that's circulating around the EVAS and electrical vehicles more broadly. Something that hasn't been discussed yet in this meeting—but that seems relevant with respect to questions around long distances in remote communities and also questions around the suitability of EVs in winter and cold temperatures and so on—is that we have a very strong comparator to Canada in the country of Norway. I wonder if you might speak to that briefly in terms of what lessons we could derive and in terms of the accuracy of some of the information that has—to be blunt—been trial ballooned again here today.

I wonder if you might speak to whether or not we might look to the existing example of Norway, which has now achieved 90% EV adoption, as a very solid base on which to dispel some of these myths.