By 2026, a fifth of new passenger vehicles sold in Canada will have to be zero-emission, according to regulations proposed by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on Wednesday. By 2030, that would jump to 60 percent. By 2035, to 100 percent.
The mandate follows goals already announced by the government to phase out gas-powered passenger vehicles. The proposed regulations will be officially published Dec. 30 and open to a 75-day consultation period.
Parliamentary Secretary Julie Dabrusin, who announced the proposed regulations, said automaker penalties for not meeting the sales mandate would be “phased in.” Automakers are already working under emissions mandates, she said. “It would be the same system that they have already been working under, but now it’s just going to be applied to sales targets.”…