The federal government has officially scrapped its electric vehicle mandate, marking a significant policy shift after sustained pushback from provincial leadership.
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In a joint statement released Aug. 17, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and minister of environment and protected areas Grant Hunter celebrated Ottawa’s decision to pull the plug on the policy, describing the move as a major victory for consumer choice and economic stability.
Alberta’s government had long opposed the mandate, designating it as one of several federal policies that interfered with provincial jurisdiction, inflated costs for businesses and consumers and threatened to place unsustainable demands on local electricity grids.
“From the day this mandate was imposed, Alberta warned it was unrealistic, unaffordable and unworkable,” the joint statement read. “Governments should set achievable environmental outcomes and allow consumers, businesses and innovators to determine the best technologies to meet them, not dictate what Canadians can and cannot drive.”
The provincial government highlighted that Alberta has already achieved a 17 per cent decrease in transportation emissions and a nine per cent drop in overall emissions since 2019 without strict sales mandates.
The reversal follows a string of recent federal policy reconsiderations, including the decision not to move forward with a federal oil and gas emissions cap and the temporary pause on the federal Clean Electricity Regulations.
Alberta officials noted they intend to closely examine Ottawa’s upcoming replacement regulations for vehicle emissions to ensure the federal mandate is not simply reintroduced under a different name.
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