Juno News - Carney Liberals to pursue gas powered vehicle ban

00:00:00.000 The Kearney government will continue to pursue a ban on the sale of all gas-powered vehicles

00:00:09.800 by 2035. Conservative leader Pierre Polyev ripped the Liberal government for granting

00:00:14.580 the Arrive Can contract to GC Strategies as a new report chronicles government failures.

00:00:19.840 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Richard Wagner waded into political discourse warning

00:00:25.000 that U.S. President Donald Trump's comments threatened to push the United States into

00:00:29.360 dictatorship. Hello, Canada. It's Thursday, June 12th, and this is the True North Daily Brief.

00:00:34.320 I'm Isaac Lamoureux. And I'm Jeff Knight. We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.

00:00:38.860 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:46.360 The Liberal government is forging ahead with its plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles

00:00:51.000 in the next decade despite warnings from auto industry leaders and public opposition.

00:00:55.320 Environment Minister Julie Debroussin faced sharp criticism from Conservative MP Dan Mazier

00:01:00.820 during a recent exchange in the House of Commons, refusing to provide any direct answers

00:01:05.760 but insisting that the government intends to follow through on the ban.

00:01:10.280 The proposed mandate will prohibit manufacturers and dealers from selling new light-duty cars

00:01:15.040 or passenger vehicles that are not zero emissions by 2035.

00:01:18.500 By 2030, at least 50% of all new light-duty vehicle sales within Canada

00:01:23.840 must be zero-emission vehicles, with the target rising for subsequent years.

00:01:28.240 Debroussin said, quote,

00:01:29.880 We are making sure that EVs, which are actually a very strongly growing segment of the world economy for sales,

00:01:35.180 will be making sure Canadians have access to them.

00:01:37.560 Mazier reminded Canadians that this would mean they would no longer be able to purchase

00:01:41.140 any new gas-powered trucks, SUVs, or cars by 2035.

00:01:45.540 Mazier added that Environment Canada had warned about the consequences of the sweeping ban,

00:01:50.380 but the Liberals ignored the warnings.

00:01:52.760 When asked whether she had read her department's regulatory impact analysis

00:01:56.320 on the zero-emission vehicle sales mandate,

00:01:58.700 Debroussin actually said she had worked on it herself.

00:02:01.520 While Debroussin seemed unable or unwilling to say how much the regulations would cost Canadians,

00:02:06.780 Mazier reminded her that her own department estimated that incremental zero-emission vehicle

00:02:11.500 and home charger costs would amount to $54.1 billion for Canadians.

00:02:17.140 Debroussin celebrated what she called rebates to help purchase 546,000 zero-emission vehicles.

00:02:23.780 The Liberals' zero-emission vehicles program, which incentivized over 546,000 cars,

00:02:28.960 was paused in January 2025 after running out of funding.

00:02:32.600 It was initially scheduled to run until March 31, 2025.

00:02:36.000 Between 2019 and when it was paused, the program costed Canadian taxpayers at least $3.5 billion in taxpayer funds.

00:02:44.920 And then the Parliamentary Budget Officer published a report showing that resuming the program

00:02:49.220 would cost Canadians over $11 billion between 2025 and 2030.

00:02:54.520 And previous polling has showed that the majority of Canadians are against banning the sale of non-zero-emission vehicles.

00:03:01.020 Leaders in the automotive industry have also warned the Liberals continuously that the mandate is a bad idea.

00:03:07.240 So, Jeff, why is the Kearney government forging ahead with an unpopular ban on gas-powered vehicles?

00:03:12.920 The Kearney government's decision to push forward with the ban on new gas-powered vehicle sales,

00:03:17.300 despite public opposition and industry warnings,

00:03:19.580 appears driven by a commitment to its climate agenda and international alignment,

00:03:23.800 even at the cost of domestic backlash.

00:03:25.660 Environment Minister Julie de Broussen's emphasis on zero-emission vehicles

00:03:29.600 as a strongly growing segment of the world economy

00:03:32.080 reflects a broader Liberal goal to position Canada as a leader in the global shift towards electrification,

00:03:37.460 aligning with international targets like the Paris Agreement

00:03:39.780 and the COP28 pledge to phase out fossil fuel vehicles.

00:03:43.880 Kearney's government likely sees this as a way to bolster Canada's environmental credibility,

00:03:48.060 especially after his European tour earlier this year,

00:03:50.500 where he touted climate leadership to allies like France and the UK,

00:03:53.940 suggesting a strategy to enhance Canada's global standing amid tense U.S. trade relations.

00:03:59.680 However, this move also serves to reinforce the Liberal brand,

00:04:02.680 which has long tied its identity to green policies,

00:04:05.140 despite the $54.1 billion cost estimate for ZEVs and chargers cited by Conservative MP Dan Mazier.

00:04:11.980 The PAUSE ZEV incentive program, which supported 546,000 vehicles before funding dried up in January,

00:04:18.360 indicates an attempt to soften the financial blow with rebates,

00:04:21.380 though the lack of new funding suggests political pragmatism may be giving way to ideology.

00:04:26.500 With previous polling showing majority opposition, around 58%,

00:04:29.720 and industry leaders like the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association warning of job losses and supply chain disruptions,

00:04:36.020 the government's persistence could be a gamble to lock in long-term climate goals

00:04:39.400 before public or economic pressures force a retreat.

00:04:42.040 This stubbornness might also reflect an internal need to unify the party around a signature issue,

00:04:46.520 especially as a minority government facing scrutiny on affordability and trade.

00:04:51.000 As a party signature issue, it may end up being a mistake in the long run,

00:04:54.580 because Canadians actually don't want electric vehicles, and this data proves it.

00:04:58.300 Zero-emission vehicle sales collapsed nationwide between December 2024 and January 2025,

00:05:04.280 falling by over 41.6%, according to Statistics Canada.

00:05:07.680 Units sold continued to plummet in February, reaching a mere 8,531 units,

00:05:13.640 compared to the 24,787 sold in December.

00:05:17.320 However, a small rebound to 12,347 was recorded in March.

00:05:21.860 The change in the sales of other fuel-type vehicles in March 2025 was not small at all.

00:05:26.460 Compared to December 2024, March saw a nearly 60% increase in other types of vehicles sold,

00:05:32.060 while 116,871 vehicles, aside from zero emissions, were sold in February 2025.

00:05:38.120 This jumped to 176,805 in March.

00:05:45.040 Conservative leader Pierre Polyev called the Auditor General's report on Arrive Can contracts

00:05:49.800 issued under the Trudeau government a, quote,

00:05:51.880 "...chronicle of liberal incompetence and an orgy of liberal waste."

00:05:55.240 Auditor General Karen Hogan published an audit of 106 additional contracts awarded to GC Strategies

00:06:01.100 by the Trudeau government and determined that federal organizations failed to adhere to procurement

00:06:05.480 and security rules.

00:06:06.700 The report reads, quote,

00:06:08.320 "...actions of the federal government frequently did not demonstrate value for money.

00:06:12.940 The federal government made payments without evidence that all the deliverables were received."

00:06:17.820 Of the contracts examined, 46% were found to bear no evidence that the work was ever completed,

00:06:23.100 yet payments were still made.

00:06:24.620 The company behind the controversial Arrive Can app was awarded contracts by 31 federal

00:06:29.300 organizations between 2015 and 2024.

00:06:32.300 Polyev told reporters, quote,

00:06:33.860 "...the contracts were for IT, even though GC Strategies does not actually do IT work.

00:06:38.780 The government overpaid.

00:06:40.240 They often didn't even check what the market rate was for the services they were buying." 0.66

00:06:43.720 GC Strategies was granted the lion's share of those contracts,

00:06:47.060 but Hogan said her findings cast doubt that such reckless misspending is unique.

00:06:51.020 Polyev noted,

00:06:51.680 "...how many of the MPs who signed off on these contracts have since

00:06:54.620 been promoted under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is responsible?" asked Polyev.

00:06:58.300 At the time, Public Safety Minister LeBlanc helped get these contracts out.

00:07:02.300 Now he's been promoted in the Liberal government.

00:07:04.100 You've got Patti Hajdu, who was the Health Minister who kicked off the Arrive Can app.

00:07:07.800 She as well has been promoted.

00:07:09.300 When asked about whether he thought there should be punitive measures for public servants and politicians

00:07:13.300 who awarded money for work that was never completed, Polyev said they should be fired.

00:07:18.980 So Isaac, have the people involved in this debacle been held to account for their actions?

00:07:22.980 Jeff and lots of Canadians are arguing that the people involved in the Arrive Can contracts debacle

00:07:28.660 have not been held to account in any meaningful way so far.

00:07:32.340 The original post announcing the GC Strategies ban by Larry Brock

00:07:36.020 had a flurry of negative replies, not to Brock per se,

00:07:39.700 but just of Canadians disappointed with the results so far.

00:07:43.060 For example, Frank Grimes Jr. said, quote,

00:07:45.700 "...you steal money, you go to jail. Not allowing them to steal again for seven years is not a victory,

00:07:51.700 nor anything to celebrate." 0.70

00:07:53.700 Also, to give a caveat, especially based on that previous quote,

00:07:57.300 this doesn't technically stop them from stealing money in any way.

00:08:01.140 They just can't do it through GC Strategies, but they could easily buy a shelved company

00:08:06.420 and do the exact same thing unless the individuals at the head of GC Strategies are punished.

00:08:11.860 A shelved company is essentially just a numbered company that exists on paper for X amount of years.

00:08:16.820 Anyways, we won't get too far into that, but as a little inside beat to our True North fans,

00:08:21.300 I have been in contact with the RCMP and the Public Service and Procurement Canada

00:08:26.340 to determine where they're at with potentially charging GC Strategies and its owners.

00:08:30.900 The PSPC told me, quote,

00:08:33.380 "...Canada is pursuing amounts owing from GC Strategies.

00:08:36.580 On February 7, 2025, the Department of Justice filed a Notice of Action

00:08:40.660 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeking $198,000." 0.81

00:08:46.020 But I'm currently still awaiting further clarification from the RCMP and where they stand.

00:08:51.300 But rest assured that when that's received, I'll be filing an article on it and I'm hoping

00:08:55.540 that that happens today. So keep a lookout for that.

00:09:01.540 In a controversial move, Canada's Chief Justice Richard Wagner appeared to wade head first into

00:09:07.220 foreign political waters this week, warning that US President Donald Trump's criticisms

00:09:11.620 of the judiciary reflect a global slide toward what he claimed to be a dictatorship.

00:09:16.580 Speaking at his annual news conference on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, Wagner was asked

00:09:20.820 about Trump's tense relationship with segments of the American judiciary. Wagner said, quote,

00:09:25.940 "...the rule of law and judicial independence are under attack." He then went further,

00:09:29.860 warning that when governments attack the media, judges, lawyers, and university,

00:09:34.020 as he claimed the Trump administration had done, there's a good chance that it's a dictatorship,

00:09:38.420 an autocratic government. Wagner's comments mark an unusually sharp and sweeping

00:09:43.060 intervention from a sitting Chief Justice into the political discourse of a foreign democracy.

00:09:47.780 While celebrating the strength of Canada's own institutions, Wagner implied that the US

00:09:51.940 is exhibiting symptoms of autocracy. Trump, who came back to office in January, repeatedly clashed

00:09:57.460 with US courts over rulings that have delayed or halted aspects of his political agenda, including

00:10:02.660 tariffs on Canada. In recent weeks, he called one judge a radical left lunatic and slammed the

00:10:08.260 system as incompetent after rulings stalled deportations and other executive actions. His

00:10:13.380 critics called this dangerous rhetoric. His supporters say it's a justified response to

00:10:17.620 judicial overreach. Wagner, without naming Trump, suggested that any government exhibiting such

00:10:22.660 tendencies threaten democratic norms. He said, quote, "...we have to be careful. We should not take

00:10:27.940 anything for granted." Though Wagner framed his comments as part of a broader concern about global

00:10:32.580 trends, he drew a comparison between Trump-era rhetoric and dictatorship.

00:10:36.740 So, Jeff, should the Chief Justice be involving himself in contentious political discourse?

00:10:41.620 No, Isaac, the Chief Justice's involvement raises valid concerns about the appropriate

00:10:45.540 role of Canadian's top judge. Wagner's role is to uphold the impartiality of the judicial system,

00:10:50.420 ensuring decisions are based on law rather than political opinion, and his public warning about

00:10:54.900 a dictatorship tied to Trump's rhetoric risks undermining that neutrality. The judiciary's

00:11:00.020 credibility hinges on appearing above the fray, and Wagner's annual news conference on June 10th was

00:11:04.820 meant to address Canada's legal system, not to weigh in on US politics. His comparison to autocracy could

00:11:10.340 be seen as a partisan jab, especially given Trump's polarizing status. This could erode public trust,

00:11:16.260 particularly among those who view Trump supporters as a significant segment of North American opinion,

00:11:21.300 with 47% of Americans approving his presidency. On the other hand, Wagner's intervention can be

00:11:26.420 defended as a necessary defense of judicial independence, a cornerstone of Canadian democracy that he's duty-bound to

00:11:32.420 protect. His statement that the rule of law and judicial independence are under attack aligns with his

00:11:37.780 mandate to safeguard institutions, especially when global trends like Trump's clashes with US courts

00:11:42.900 could influence Canada. The 2025 Supreme Court annual report noted a 15% rise in public inquiries

00:11:48.900 about judicial integrity, suggesting Canadians are attuned to these issues. However, the line between

00:11:54.740 educating the public and engaging in political debate is thin, and Wagner's failure to name Trump directly,

00:12:00.420 yet still imply autocracy, might suggest an intent to influence discourse. Ultimately,

00:12:05.300 his role should steer clear of such commentary, leaving political critique to elected officials,

00:12:10.100 unless it directly threatens Canada's legal framework, which this does not, making his involvement

00:12:15.060 arguably inappropriate.

00:12:19.060 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to

00:12:25.060 The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify. Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a five-star rating and please leave a review.

Juno News - June 12, 2025

Carney Liberals to pursue gas powered vehicle ban

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