AUTO DEALERS APPLAUD FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S AUTO STRATEGY

[Ottawa, ON - February 5^th 2026]

 

Today, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, (CADA) formally applauded the

federal government's announced Auto Strategy, including the decision to end the federal

electric vehicle mandate. CADA President and CEO Tim Reuss stated, “Today's announcement by Prime Minister Carney, is a strong commitment by the government to the automotive industry and demonstrates their ability and willingness to respond to market realities and consumer

demand.”

 

The expanded and adjusted support measures aimed at maintaining Canada’s

vital automotive manufacturing sector are essential as we enter the critical phase of the

CUSMA renegotiation with the US. Dealers across Canada, particularly applaud the

government for ending the EV mandate and choosing a better path forward for EV adoption

that is more in line with diverse technology, charging infrastructure and overall consumer

demand.”

 

Reuss further noted that the 3,500 dealer members across Canada are in no way turning

away from EV adoption: “Dealers have invested heavily in EV infrastructure to sell and

service EVs in Canada. Consumer choice in terms of vehicle options for low emission

choices has expanded dramatically in Canada, and now manufacturers have the ability to

deliver emissions solutions which are technologically neutral”.

 

CADA also praised the reintroduction of EV purchase incentives. Today's announcement

highlights that consumers still need incentives in order to adopt electric vehicle

technology. The affordability gap for electric vehicles on initial purchase continues to be a

pinch point, and the government's approach to incentivizing consumers as opposed to

limiting the market is the right step to ensure consumer affordability.

 

CADA also highlighted the important elements of the automotive strategy that will help

ensure a reliable supply chain for automobiles in Canada:  “During this trade rupture, it is

critical that we have a strategy that is bold and eliminates policies that were made before

current market and technology realities. CADA continues to work on both sides of the

border to highlight that auto tariffs between Canada and the US are bad for the economies

of both countries, bad for dealers and, most importantly, bad for the millions of consumers

they serve” concluded Reuss.

 

About CADA:

The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association is a federation of provincial and regional dealer associations, representing 3,400 franchised automobile and truck dealerships that sell new cars and trucks in Canada. These dealers collectively employ over 178,000 people across the country and represent a key sector of Canada’s economy.