Environment Committee on Nov. 24th, 2025

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Thank you.

Ms. Sebileau, do you think it's a good idea to consider conventional hybrid vehicles? I don't mean plug-in vehicles, but conventional hybrid vehicles, as some have suggested. Do you think that should be part of the mandate?

[Blandine Sebileau]

That's a very good question.

Absolutely not. We think that is an extremely bad idea. It will impede electrification. A non-plug-in hybrid vehicle is not an electric vehicle. It generates greenhouse gases and pollutes 300 times more than a conventional vehicle. It maintains our dependence on fossil fuels and does nothing to advance the installation of charging infrastructure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you.

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

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

I appreciate the witnesses coming in today. This is a fascinating subject, and I have many different places where I'd like to start.

Ms. Sinasac, could you comment on the electrical equipment? What is the back order right now on transformers?

[Cherith Sinasac]

There was a back order during the pandemic, but we have been scaling in order to meet that demand. A lot of that is caused by data centres, not by EVs.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Thank you very much.

That implies, then, that demand overall is increasing because the industry is growing into new markets, and data centres as well.

[Cherith Sinasac]

Yes, we're investing.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

What is the typical delay from order to delivery?

[Cherith Sinasac]

I don't think there is a significant delay right now. It's come down because of the new investments in Canada and because—

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

So this is 125 and less.... What about substations?

[Cherith Sinasac]

This is also about the trade relationship with the U.S. We're now not able to export as many as we used to, so we need demand here in Canada.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Okay.

Mr. Wiseman, could you explain why the EV adoption rate is so low in some regions? What is your understanding of that?

[Evan Wiseman]

It varies. Incentives are a big part of it. Purchase incentives, I think, are one part. Especially if you look globally year over year, the sales have continued to increase. Canada has been an outlier—

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

No, I mean specifically within Canada.

[Evan Wiseman]

Specifically within Canada, I think it's partly the federal government's announcement earlier this year that there was going to be an incentive—it was about six months ago—and they haven't brought it back out. That has depreciated purchases.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Are there any features of the regions themselves, different characteristics that—

[Evan Wiseman]

There are. In B.C. and Quebec, range anxiety isn't really as much of a factor as it is in other provinces, because of—

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Thank you very much.

In other places, range anxiety is a factor.

[Evan Wiseman]

It's generally because they are still deploying their infrastructure, but it goes to show that when you have a plan, it really does manifest in deployment.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Ms. Sinasac, your press release argues that the EV mandate provides industry certainty. Do you agree that it simultaneously provides consumer certainty by restricting their ability to purchase the vehicle that they would like to have?

[Cherith Sinasac]

I'm sorry. Are you asking whether I said that it restricts their ability?

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

No. Your press release argues that the EV mandate provides industry certainty.

[Cherith Sinasac]

Yes.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Do you agree that it simultaneously removes consumer certainty by restricting their ability to purchase the type of vehicle that they would like to have?

[Cherith Sinasac]

I don't agree with that, no. You can continue.... There are a lot of myths around it. It's not a ban on internal combustion vehicles, and the presence of the 100% figure has been repeatedly mis-characterized as a consumer ban, but you can—