Banning sale of gas-powered cars before 2035 would result in shortage, says Quebec environment minister

QUEBEC CITY -

If Quebec bans the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles in 2030 rather than 2035, it would risk a shortage in the market, said Environment Minister Benoit Charette.

Charette used this explanation on Wednesday to justify provisions of his new bill, which would ban the sale of new vehicles with gas-powered vehicles in 2035.

He was responding to Québec Solidaire (QS), which was calling for a date of 2030 instead.

By 2030, there won’t be enough new electric cars to supply the Quebec market, said Charette.

“We have to be realistic. The Quebec market is not large enough in North America to dictate to all car manufacturers, so it must be worked out with manufacturers, dealers, according to the technology that is available too," he said in a media scrum at the National Assembly.

“He should have gone at least to 2030,” said QS spokesperson Manon Massé. She recalled the conclusions of the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), citing that the average temperature on Earth will increase by 1.5 degrees by 2030.

“We have 10 years left. And 2035 is 14 years away. So Québec Solidaire will be there to ensure that the 2035 date is brought forward. And I think the minister is capable of understanding that,” she said.

B.C. has a similar law, but set their date at 2040, and the federal government has set a target of 2035.

The province hopes banning gas-powered vehicles will encourage people to buy electric and help Quebec meet its greenhouse gas emission targets by 2030.

Quebec already provides subsidies for the purchase of battery and hybrid electric vehicles. Currently, 6.8 per cent of vehicle registrations are electric.

“Its an inevitable choice because what we see right now is GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions from the transport sector represent almost half of Quebec’s GHG emissions, so its definitely a sector that should be a priority for everyone,” said Andréanne Brazeau of Equiterre.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 6, 2021. With files from CTV News Montreal's Ian Wood