Industry committee  A lot of people think that electric vehicles are only for city use, that they aren't made for life in the suburbs, on the outskirts or in remote areas. The biggest challenge is not so much regional use, because most charging happens at home. I live a good ways from the city, but usually, it's no trouble for people like me to have a charging station installed out front or in the garage.

Industry committee  It refers to the manufacturing and sales of service vehicles, the deployment of charging infrastructure, and the manufacturing of trucks, buses and school buses.

Industry committee  It's feasible if the government invests in Canadian electric mobility businesses and in renewable energy. I'm no longer in government, but I would say a whole slew of measures could be implemented to support that. I think it is feasible. Other countries have even more ambitious targets than Canada does.

Industry committee  Yes, that's right. All that to say, I think we can take a much better approach. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create good quality jobs in the electric mobility sector in Quebec and Canada, an opportunity that won't come again. Things are really starting to ramp up all over the world, whether in China, Europe or the United States.

Industry committee  The finance minister's budget investments were actually more general. Some of the measures seem promising, but the details are lacking. We are eager to find out more to get a better sense of how electric mobility will take shape the weeks and months ahead.

Industry committee  I think so. I agree. By the way, I used to assemble Chevrolets myself in Sainte-Thérèse when I was a student. So I know about vehicle assembly. I think this is a very important issue. We have to look into that. I mean, not everybody, but qualified technicians can fix your vehicle, whatever the brand.

Industry committee  Actually, EMC's members are working on putting together programs, whether they're at the high school level, the university level or the college level, because we will need to have more and more training and retraining. That's something that EMC works on. I can tell you that we've had discussions with different colleges in Canada, so it's on its way.

Industry committee  Taking into account the whole ecosystem is key, from mining, R and D and university involvement to assembly, infrastructure and recycling. Recycling is an important piece we haven't talked a lot about. The diesel or gas used to power traditional vehicles is not recyclable, whereas up to 95% of the components in electric vehicle batteries can be recycled.

Industry committee  Obviously not. Renewable resources are used to produce certain types of hydrogen, and natural gas or oil is used to produce other types. The environmental footprint is not at all the same. That's why we think hydrogen-powered vehicles should be heavy-duty vehicles, in other words, boats and planes.

Industry committee  That's a very important question. Right now, 96% of electric vehicle batteries are manufactured in Asia, so China, Japan and Korea. That is hardly sustainable from an economic, environmental or even geopolitical standpoint. We wouldn't want to end up in the same boat we were in because of our reliance on oil from the Middle East.

Industry committee  You mentioned the distance that has to be driven in order to trigger the environmental benefits. That number is no longer 80,000 kilometres; it is now 20,000 or 30,000 kilometres thanks to improvements in the manufacturing of electric vehicles. As for the lifespan of an electric vehicle versus a gas-powered vehicle, I would have to say it depends on the make.

Industry committee  Our first recommendation is that Canada develop a Canadian electric mobility strategy. I was the first elected official to be in charge of a government electric mobility strategy in Quebec. Instead of taking a piecemeal approach to programs and initiatives, the government should, in our view, adopt a comprehensive vision of electric mobility, one that includes a zero-emission vehicle supply chain strategy.

Industry committee  Good question. You actually need to look at the short-term costs and how they're broken down over time. I'll give you a prime example. Sometimes, municipalities can't afford to follow provincial or federal government policies. In the specific case of transportation electrification, everyone wins.

Industry committee  Yes. The cost is often evaluated, and it's being done more and more now. Electric Mobility Canada is one of the ones working on the issue. You are absolutely right that an electric car has an environmental cost. That said, the overall environmental cost of an electric car is much lower than that of a gas-powered vehicle.

Industry committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. We want to thank the members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology for its study on green economic recovery from COVID-19. My name is Daniel Breton and I'm the president and chief executive officer of Electric Mobility Canada, or EMC.