Alberta vows to use all legal powers on EV mandate

Alberta’s Ministry of Environment told True North that it will use every legal tool to stop Ottawa’s electric vehicle mandate, escalating a jurisdictional clash with the Liberal government.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Alberta’s Ministry of Environment told True North that it will use every legal tool to stop Ottawa’s electric vehicle mandate, escalating a jurisdictional clash with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government.

“We are calling on Ottawa to listen to Albertans, Canadians and industry experts across the country and scrap this ridiculous policy before it drives Canada off the road,” a ministry spokesperson told True North. “Alberta’s government will do everything within its legal jurisdiction to thwart implementation of these unconstitutional regulations in our province.”

Alberta’s Minister of Environment, Rebecca Schulz, issued a statement opposing the electric vehicle mandate on Friday, saying that the Liberals need to abandon the EV mandate before it kicks in next year.

“This is another failed Trudeau policy, just like the carbon tax, which hurt Canadians from coast to coast,” she said.

The mandate will force 20 per cent of new cars sold in Canada next year to be zero-emissions, climbing to 100 per cent by 2035.

Schulz explained that Albertans purchased over 223,000 new vehicles last year, while only 25,000 electric vehicles were produced in the entire country. Therefore, the country’s production could not account for even Alberta, let alone the entire country.

Despite having limited production in Canada, the Liberals imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles last year. As a consequence, the Chinese slapped a 75.8 per cent tariff on Canadian canola — a $43.7 billion annual industry. China has instead turned to Australia for its canola, abandoning the import of 7.9 million metric tonnes in 2024 that supports 206,000 Canadian jobs.

“These tariffs have a devastating impact on hard-working Albertan farmers, ranchers and food processors, who are caught up in political posturing they want no part in,” said Schulz.

Schulz warned the EV mandate would cause similar destruction to Canada’s auto industry.

“For months, large automakers and global industry leaders like Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, and Stellantis have warned this mandate will kill jobs and investment and must be scrapped,” she said. “And what about Canadians? Well, a new Leger poll released today found that 71 per cent of Canadians also want the mandate rolled back due to high costs and implementation concerns.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently announced a nationwide campaign to end Carney’s electric vehicle mandate.

He explained that the 20 per cent quota would force dealerships to pay a $20,000 tax on any gas-powered vehicle sold over that threshold.

“I call it the Carney tax. The Liberals’ mandate would continue to worsen as years go by until 2035, when gas vehicles would be banned altogether,” said Poilievre.

He said that the auto industry is already under immense pressure following Carney’s failure to strike a trade deal with the United States.

Schulz reminded Canadians that her federal counterpart, Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, said she would not roll back the mandate under any circumstances.

The sale of electric vehicles has struggled to stay on the road without federal subsidies.

After the Liberals’ EV program was paused after running out of funding, EV sales fell off a cliff — 41.6 per cent between December 2024 and the new year. Conversely, other types of vehicles sold rose 60 per cent between 2024’s final month and March 2025.

“For a decade, the Trudeau government ignored the wishes of Canadians and pursued unrealistic and ideological policies like this. If the Carney government is serious about listening to Canadians and making life better, it needs to scrap this mandate immediately,” said Schulz.