FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Speaking in Beijing today, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new “landmark trade arrangement” with China that slashes Canada’s 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), down to a preferential tariff rate of 6.1% for up to 49,000 units annually, increasing by roughly 6% per year for the next five years. In exchange, China has agreed to lower its retaliatory tariffs on Canadian canola seed, along with relief on other farm products and seafood, “at least until the end of the year.”

Dan McTeague, President of Canadians for Affordable Energy, issued the following statement:

“This is a bad deal for Canadians, and it comes at an enormous cost for our already-struggling automotive sector. The 100% tariff on Chinese EVs was put in place for good reason: to shield Canada from dirt-cheap, state-subsidized vehicles that would exploit our own EV mandate and undercut domestic manufacturers.”

Said McTeague, “Chinese firms benefit from massive state support, along with lax environmental standards and lower labour costs. Dropping the tariff invites them to dump their products here at prices our companies can’t match, which will hurt not just the EV portion of our auto industry, but the entire sector.”

McTeague continued, “Hundreds of thousands of Canadians depend on the autosector for their employment. The EV mandate has already made these jobs less secure. And now, we’re going to make our manufacturers compete with EVs from China?! That is madness!”

According to McTeague, “China is not our friend. They are a geo-political adversary, who continually work with authoritarian regimes like Iran and Russia against our interests on a variety of issues. They have engaged in human rights abuses, have appalling environmental standards and have even been accused of using forced labour in the manufacturing of Electric Vehicles.”

“Make no mistake,” McTeague said, “This deal is about saving the Liberal Party’s failing EV mandate, and about Mark Carney’s desperation to play deal-maker on the world stage. A real ‘win’ for Canada would mean scrapping the EV mandate altogether. That would remove the incentive for China to exploit our ‘Green’ policies, save billions in subsidies, and let Canadians buy the vehicles they actually need and want.”

McTeague urged the government to reconsider “this reckless concession” and prioritize protecting Canadian jobs and industry “over hasty deals with unreliable partners.”

“Who benefits from this? Not regular Canadians – not our autoworkers, not our taxpayers, and certainly not our long-term economic security.”

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