Climate Change & Environmental Policy:

The GAC recommends that:

1. Canada’s environmental policies related to light duty vehicles be outcome-focused and take into consideration the environmental policies of our largest trading partners.
2. The government adopt a wholistic approach to the adoption of ZEVs through increased incentives, broad infrastructure build-out and robust public education.
3. Canada focus on energy diversification to meet our emissions reduction targets in the short term (lower carbon fuels, renewables, electricity, hydrogen).
4. Environmental stewardship should focus on a circular economy and avoid a patchwork of regulations across the country that add bureaucracy and cost to products
5. Vehicle manufacturers in Canada should not be disadvantaged vis-à-vis competing jurisdictions owing to the recognition of the cost of carbon applied to the vehicles being produced and exported.

Trade, Investments and Competitiveness:

The GAC recommends that:

1. The government protect Canadian-based manufacturers against “Buy American” policies and other policies that contravene the fundamental provisions of CUSMA/USMCA.
2. The government avoid policies (such as the Luxury Tax) that could undermine Canada’s trade relationships with other jurisdictions and hinder the competitiveness of the Canadian automotive market.
3. Automobile manufacturing/investment policy needs to be developed by all levels of government working collaboratively with industry.
4. Government should seek to create the conditions necessary to maintain and grow the existing manufacturing footprint and automotive ecosystem (battery, critical minerals processing and refining) in Canada.
5. Regulation should be pursued only where necessary, after consultation with industry, and only where alternative solutions are not available and should focused on performance-based outcomes which should be consistent across Canada and avoid inconsistency with our major trading partners. New regulations must be justified with a thorough cost/benefit analysis.
6. Any new regulations must be developed with the goal of regulatory alignment in the North America region and, with other key trading partners, where possible.

Technology, Privacy, and Security Policy:

The GAC recommends that:

1. The Government apply flexible, results-based regulatory practices that encourage both innovation and technology adoption in a fair and transparent manner to promote the introduction of advanced vehicle technologies (eg. propulsion, automated, connected, shared) on a North American basis to ensure interoperability and consumer satisfaction.
2. The Government develop federal privacy guidelines/principles to provide a large degree of alignment amongst the provinces and with our largest trading partners to ensure the security and privacy of personal information that is fundamental to the broader adoption of connected and automated vehicles.
3. Vehicle safety and emissions compliance standards, vehicle systems security and personal information not be compromised during the service, repair and maintenance of a consumer’s vehicle.

View our Public Policy Positions PDF here.