Thank you.
Welcome, everyone. We've all met before in the context of the Liberal auto caucus. I appreciate your attendance here today.
Before I ask a couple of questions, I wanted to frame that I think the market will lead. The industry is actually leading in the EV space. We're seeing this globally and, because we're talking about the Americans, despite the volatility in late 2025, U.S. consumers purchased nearly the same number of EVs in 2025 as in 2024. If the market demand is there, then the production will be there as well.
Just to talk about market demand, this question is for Madam Doran and Monsieur Breton. Budget 2025 introduces the productivity superdeduction that will allow immediate expensing for zero-emissions vehicles, meaning businesses can write off 100% of their vehicle EV fleet in its first year. It also allows for a 100% deduction of capital investment so that auto manufacturers, or any manufacturers in Canada, can write off any sort of retooling in their first year, giving Canada the lowest marginal effective tax rate in the G7.
Coupled with the auto strategy that has $1.5 billion for charging infrastructure to get away from some of that range anxiety that you mentioned, and for rural and northern communities in particular, we have returned to the consumer incentives for EVs and plug-in hybrids, and we have significant support for domestic auto manufacturers.
Given this set of tools the federal government has brought about in the last three months, how do you feel that will impact demand for EVs in Canada and buoy the demand and the automakers?