Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak in opposition to the opposition day motion today, which, at the heart of it, is simply disinformation: disinformation about climate policy and disinformation about an affordability policy that, quite frankly, gives me flashbacks to the last government, where it seemed that week after week, the Conservatives would have a similar type of motion that they would bring forward.

Here the Conservatives are making the claim that Canada has a plan to completely ban gas-powered cars and that this would somehow drive up the cost of vehicles by $20,000. That is simply untrue. It is about a regulation that will progressively increase the number of light-duty cars that dealerships sell, which are zero-emissions vehicles in Canada: to 20% in 2026, 30% in 2030 and then up to 100% in 2035. What they fail to mention is that there are exemptions built in that allow for the purchase of plug-in hybrid vehicles for those parts of our country where electric vehicles are not as well suited.

Why do we have the regulation in the first place? Contrary to what Conservatives say, it is actually about choice. It is about having the choice to find an electric vehicle if someone wants one. It is no mistake that the provinces that have the highest adoption rate of electric vehicles are the ones that have had a standard for the purchase of electric vehicles, including Quebec and British Columbia, where sales were over 30% and 22%, respectively, last year. With those types of regulations, car dealerships will actually show the models on the floor to meet the demand that is there. If the standard is not there, they are going to prefer to have things on their lot like gas-powered cars, particularly SUVs, where we know the margins are much higher for them.

However, we also hear opponents of electric vehicles suggest that they are somehow a luxury product, but the facts again show otherwise. Over the lifetime of ownership of an electric vehicle, they will actually be much cheaper, because a Canadian driver today will save thousands of dollars each year at the pump. While gas prices will fluctuate, sometimes very wildly due to global instability, which is entirely outside of Canada's control, EV drivers are charging at a fraction of the cost.

To put it into context, at today's prices, the average Canadian driving 20,000 kilometres per year spends about $2,800 on gas. The same distance in an EV costs about $500 in electricity, so that is a saving of over $2,000 every year. That is before we even talk about maintenance. Anyone who owns a gas-powered car knows the cost of oil changes, engine repairs, exhaust systems and transmission issues, none of which actually apply to electric vehicles. Studies show that electric vehicles cost 40% less to maintain and repair than their gas-powered counterparts.

When we combine the fuel and maintenance savings, a typical Canadian family can expect to save about $20,000 over the lifetime of their vehicle. The PBO just released a report that confirmed that over the first three years of ownership, the higher initial purchase price of an electric vehicle, even without any incentives, will be made up on the operational savings.

I can speak to this very personally as someone who was able to purchase an electric vehicle just under two years ago. It is a very nice feeling knowing that I do not have to worry about what the prices at the pump are going to be, whether this is the time that the summer gasoline blend comes in, or whether whatever type of conflict is happening in the Middle East could jack up the prices. I know I can charge my vehicle in the comfort of my home rather than having to plan for those types of stops. I can do just about any round trip in my 13,000-square-kilometre riding in one charge on my car.

The other reason that it is important to move forward with this is that we are living in a climate crisis. Just in one community in my riding alone, the district of Squamish, has had three wildfires so far this year, and we are only in mid-June. We know that transportation accounts for about a quarter of Canada's emissions, so if we are serious about reducing our emissions in Canada and protecting our communities, then transportation, particularly light-duty vehicles, has to be part of the equation.

We know that electric vehicles emit about 80% less over the lifetime of the car than gas-powered alternatives do, even when we account for such things as battery manufacturing and Canada's current electrical grid. As our grid gets cleaner and we find more sustainable ways of mining and processing minerals and manufacturing vehicles, those emissions reductions are going to grow even more significantly.

We also know that less pollution means healthier communities. It also means fewer respiratory illnesses, fewer hospital visits and a better quality of life for our kids and grandkids, so this is also about public health. None of those benefits actually matters if Canadians cannot access electric vehicles in the first place. That is why the government introduced these regulations, to ensure that manufacturers actually bring EVs to the Canadian market. For too long, Canada was a dumping ground for gas vehicles while EVs were shipped elsewhere. Canadian consumers were left with long wait times.

I can speak personally. I waited over a year and a half to be able to purchase an electric vehicle. There are limited options, and we have inflated prices. Therefore, our regulations simply ensure that automakers prioritize Canada when deciding where to sell their electric vehicles so that Canadians are not left at the back of the line.

I want to be very clear. These regulations do not ban gas-powered cars; they simply create a level playing field in which Canadians can choose from a wide range of affordable, high-quality electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, many of which are now being built right here in Canada.

That gets me to my next point. This transition is not only good for consumers and the environment, but it is good for our economy. Canada is increasingly becoming a global leader in electric vehicle manufacturing, battery production and clean technology. We are seeing historic investments in plants, battery factories and the mining of critical minerals. This is something for which there are opportunities from coast to coast to coast to create thousands of well-paying jobs in our country.

However, we do have challenges to seeing higher adoption of electric vehicles. With the depletion of the federal incentive for electric vehicles, and with its elimination in my home province of British Columbia as well, we are seeing a slowing of that demand. Therefore, it is really important that this gap be addressed so that we are able to continue to encourage people to adopt electric vehicles. Our government has made the commitment, as we reform the industrial carbon price, to ensure that big polluters in Canada are going to pay for incentives for individual Canadians to make those greener choices.

The other challenge we have is that, in Canada, we do not have a lot of the affordable models other countries have access to. We made the decision to bring in a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles for understandable reasons, but we can also look to what other jurisdictions have done, such as the European Union, which has a smaller tariff geared more toward the specific impact of some of its unfair subsidies, as well as to protecting the nascent market it has there. There are a lot of affordable electric vehicles that are manufactured in some of our value-aligned countries but are not available right now in Canada. I think of places like Europe, Japan and South Korea. One thing we could do is find a way of harmonizing our vehicle certification standards so that vehicles approved for use there are available in Canada as well. This would have the impact of ensuring that we see a lot more of those EVs on the lower-cost end, which is where we are seeing some of the biggest challenges with adoption.

We have seen what happens when supply is limited: higher prices, long delays and frustration for families trying to do the right thing. The government believes Canadians deserve better. By leaning into this transition, we are securing Canada's place in the clean economy of the future while making sure that Canadians and communities benefit.

Opponents of these measures often talk about freedom of choice, but what choice do Canadians have if the vehicles they want are not available? Not all Canadians have the ability to buy EVs, because they are not available in all provinces. The ZEV availability standard is what is needed to make sure Canadians are able to have that choice. We see that the demand is there in metro Vancouver, where almost 70% of residents want an electric vehicle to be their next choice of vehicle. In my riding, the district of Squamish has the highest adoption rate of any metropolitan area in the country. The district of West Vancouver may have the highest adoption of any municipality. We see that the demand is there, but we need to make sure the supply is there. That is what these regulations are all about.

Patrick Weiler

$632,139.00