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OTTAWA — As pressure builds on the federal government to make changes to its electric vehicle sales mandate, a spokeswoman for Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin says they will be engaging with provinces and industry to ensure that measures “reflect” current circumstances. 

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The statement marks the first sign of any openness the government has shown to modifying its mandate, which was introduced in 2023 and aims to see all new vehicle sales in Canada be zero-emission, either fully electric or plug-in battery hybrid, by 2035.

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With the first sales target of 20 per cent set for 2026, auto-makers have increased their longstanding calls for the mandate to the scrapped, pointing to falling electric vehicle sales and the ongoing trade war with the U.S.

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“We are fighting to protect Canadian jobs and building an electric vehicle supply chain that is driving record investment into our economy. Canada’s Electric Vehicle Availability Standard was implemented to ensure Canadians have access to affordable zero-emission vehicles to fight climate change with Canadian innovation,” Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokeswoman for Dabrusin, wrote in a statement late Thursday.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday met with the CEOs of Ford, General Motors and Stellantis as he tries to negotiate a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump that would see tariffs removed on Canadian products, including on the auto sector, where parts that comply with a free trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are exempt.

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Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, which represents the companies and also attended the meeting, said besides trade and tariffs, they also discussed their push to see the electric vehicle sales mandate repealed, saying “we’re optimistic that there will be a change on the horizon.”

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“A 25 per cent tariff on Canadian production is a huge challenge for the future of this industry. But at the end of the day, we do not control the outcome of those negotiations,” he said in an interview on Thursday, adding they have “full confidence” in the government’s efforts to see tariffs lifted.

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“But we do not control what the president ultimately does,” he says. “What we do control is our own policy framework, and why, at a time when the industry is under pressure, would we keep in place a domestic policy that is hugely damaging to this industry? So that’s why it’s the focus.”

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A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office said it had nothing more to add about the meeting besides the readout it released following Wednesday’s meeting, when asked whether the government was open to repealing or changing the mandate.