Conservatives blast EV subsidies as sales collapse nationwide
Despite plummeting consumer demand for electric vehicles, the Liberal government is doubling down on corporate welfare for the EV industry, say the Conservatives.
Despite plummeting consumer demand for electric vehicles, the Liberal government is doubling down on corporate welfare for the EV industry, say the Conservatives.
The criticism follows a federal announcement Friday of a $2.5-million investment to establish Electric Vehicle Innovation Ontario (EVIO).
The program, led by the University of Toronto in partnership with seven other southern Ontario universities, is funded through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. It aims to support research, commercialization, and workforce development in the electric vehicle and battery sector.
According to the government, EVIO will embed graduate researchers within Ontario EV and mobility companies. They will work on battery systems, charging infrastructure, power electronics, artificial intelligence-enabled mobility software, and advanced manufacturing. Industry partners are expected to match the federal funding, bringing the total project value to $7.9 million.
“AI and clean technology are vital to helping build a strong economic future for Canada,” said Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon in a statement. “Through this investment … we are backing Canadian ingenuity to grow a world-class EV supply chain, strengthen our competitive advantage, and create good, meaningful jobs.”
Conservative industry critic Raquel Dancho said the announcement amounts to spending millions of taxpayer dollars “on something Canadians aren’t buying.” She pointed to recent sales figures showing zero-emission vehicles accounted for 8.9 per cent of new vehicle sales in October 2025, a year-over-year decline of nearly 42 per cent.
Dancho also questioned the value of the program for taxpayers, noting that the initiative would subsidize placements costing tens of thousands of dollars per participant while benefiting a limited number of selected companies.
“The announcement provides no details about how providing a large federal subsidy per student will produce a return for taxpayers,” she said in a statement, adding that Canadians are effectively subsidizing private-sector salaries.
Conservatives have tied the investment to the Liberal government’s broader zero-emission vehicle mandate, which requires automakers to meet escalating EV sales targets over the coming decade. Dancho said Prime Minister Mark Carney has yet to deliver results from a promised 60-day review of the mandate announced in September.
“It’s time to end corporate welfare and put Canadians back in the driver’s seat,” Dancho said. “Conservatives trust Canadians — not Ottawa — to choose the vehicles that work for them.”
Green policies are retarded. Anyone who believes that the juice is worth the squeeze is also retarded.
The Fraser Insitute Fall 2025 report captions "The average Canadian family spent
42% of their income on taxes last year ... housing costs for the average family are
up 25% since 2020, food costs are up 18%, and the Consumer Price Index (the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services) is up 17.4% ... the tax bite for the average family is 42% of its income—more than it spends on food, housing, and clothing combined!"
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/quarterly-fall-2025.pdf
Toss in shrinking full time jobs market, layoffs across multiple sectors and low paying part time job creation, who can afford the outlay for a EV. Then there is the preventive maintenance costs with EV mechanic rates possibly higher than ICE rates.