Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Colleagues, we're here at an emergency debate about the auto sector. We're here because unjustified, unprovoked tariffs are slaughtering our auto industry and, frankly, our broader manufacturing industry. I'm hearing from businesses connected to the auto industry in the supply chain that they're already starting shift reductions. They're cutting hours. They're cutting shifts.
Like I've said multiple times, and it's definitely worth repeating here at this committee, these aren't just numbers. They aren't just statistics. These are people. These are families. That's why we've put this motion before the committee today. For the record, the motion we're putting forward to the committee is that this committee would report to the House that we cancel the EV mandate immediately.
We've heard expert witness testimony at this committee. We've had the Canadian Automobile Dealer Association head here, Huw Williams, who said that the EV mandate is “a pending disaster”. We have had Brian Kingston of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association here. Brian Kingston said that this is the one simple thing we could do to breathe some life into the automotive industry. We could do it right now. He also called the EV mandate “a direct challenge” to our competitiveness. Mr. Volpe, who just testified at this committee this evening, said EV that mandates are “not based in reality”.
A study by the Canadian Journal of Economics found that Prime Minister Carney's EV mandate would kill 38,000 jobs by its fifth year and would likely cause the collapse of Canada's automotive sector. Can you imagine that, on top of these unjustified tariffs and all the issues surrounding the trade policy environment vis-à-vis the United States?
So far, we've seen that it doesn't seem like our government is able to get a deal on auto with the Americans. We've heard them signal as much south of the border. The question would become, why would we have an ideologically driven EV mandate that has no practical benefit to the auto sector? Clearly the game has changed. Clearly we're under threat. Clearly we need to take a common-sense approach to this.
It's not just auto industry executives and people connected to the industry who are saying this. Almost 50 mayors across Ontario have called for the EV mandate to be scrapped.
Conservatives want to scrap this mandate because it's the right approach. It's the right thing to do. It's based on expert testimony. It's a common-sense approach to restore affordability. More importantly, it's an approach that will protect workers. That's why we're here. We're here for the auto industry. We're here to protect auto workers, and we stand firmly on the side of auto workers. We'll continue to advocate to ensure that they have a safe future, that their families can feel assured that the government is doing everything it can to protect their security, their job and, by default, their family.
That is why I'd like to end by saying that clearly, based on the witness testimony we have heard at this committee, we need to scrap this EV mandate immediately. I fully support this motion, and I hope that all members can agree that it's time to move forward. End this destructive, disastrous policy for the benefit of all Canadian workers.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.