SASKATOON — Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was in Saskatchewan Thursday to launch a campaign against the Liberal government’s electric vehicle mandate.
At a farm in Corman Park outside Saskatoon, Poilievre announced the Conservatives’ launch of “a massive nationwide campaign to stop Mark Carney's ban on gas powered vehicles.”
“This campaign will include motions in Parliament, pressure campaigns in local and local MP ridings, press conferences and events at car dealerships across Canada, petitions and other activities that will mobilize Canadians to maintain their right to decide what car they can afford and what car works for them,” said Poilievre.
“It's time to put Canadians back in the driver's seat so that they can decide what life they want to live. I am announcing today a campaign to stop the Liberal ban on gas powered cars, with the goal of giving Canadians freedom of choice in the purchase of their cars and trucks.”
In his remarks, Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney, pointing to government spending, rising inflation and the cost of living, and said no major projects have been approved.
“He's not actually getting anything built. He's all talk and no action. Things are not different. They are getting worse. And there's more trouble ahead.”
Poilievre also criticized the EV mandate and the planned ban on gas cars and trucks, set to take effect months from now. Starting Jan. 1, 2026, 20 per cent of dealership sales would be required to be electric, with any gas or hybrid cars above that quota facing a $20,000 tax per vehicle sold.
He pointed to the impact on rural communities, saying it would “kill jobs, balloon costs, and grind rural communities to a halt,” and would “literally erase many small towns from the map.”
”Now, a lot of people will say that is hyperbole, but I ask the farmers here today, could the rural communities across the prairies actually continue to go on if they had to drive exclusively electric vehicles? Could that run on an electric battery? How could you move your grain to markets? How could you do the regular work that's required? I'd have a pickup truck in minus 40 degree weather in February. It is simply not possible. What Mark Carney is doing by banning gas vehicles is he is banning the rural way of life.”
Poilievre estimated it would cost $300 billion to build the charging stations and transmission networks needed to meet the mandate. He also cited a letter from auto manufacturers stating there is no longer a pathway to achieve the 20 per cent mandated sale in 2026.
“The Liberals mandate would continue to worsen as years go by until 2035, when gas vehicles would be banned altogether. The auto industry is already under enormous stress after Mark Carney broke his promise to get a July 21, 2025 deal to end the tariffs imposed by the United States. The last thing they need is a job killing price hiking gas vehicle ban.”
While in Corman Park, Poilievre also responded to China’s 75.8 per cent tariff announced this week on canola seed. He called China's tariffs on canola producers “totally unjustified. They had already targeted our beef producers before there were any electric vehicle tariffs imposed on them.”
Poilievre said the first thing Canada should do is “cancel the billion dollar federal loan that Mark Carney is extending to BC Ferries to have them buy Chinese ships. Mark Carney is giving a billion dollars of shipbuilding contracts through a taxpayer funded loan to the Chinese government and the Chinese economy.
“That is crazy. At a time when they're targeting our farmers. I think we should look at ways we can penalize the regime in Beijing for targeting our farmers.”
He also accused Carney of not caring about Western Canadian producers.
“I had my team check his Twitter account. He hasn't tweeted a single thing about canola. Yet, he's been able to tweet about International Cat Day. Isn't that nice? We need a prime minister who will actually stand up for all Canadians, including and especially our prairie producers.”
Poilievre’s comments came prior to a tweet sent out by Carney in the afternoon in which he said he spoke to Premier Scott Moe about potential relief for those affected by the canola tariffs.
As for his by-election campaign in Battle River–Crowfoot, with the vote happening Monday, Poilievre said those voters “are going to decide whether they want strong national leadership for the local issues that affect their lives.
“It's going to take national leadership to reverse Carney's ban on your gas truck or car. National leadership to defend our hunters and sports shooters' right to keep their property. National leadership to get pipelines built so that communities like Hardesty and all of the smaller communities who rely on oil and gas jobs can come roaring back to life. National leadership to stand up for our farmers, and I'm encouraging people to vote to advance their local issues by having a strong national voice in the forthcoming by-election.”
