It’s always better for the government to ask us or give us an incentive rather than telling us what to do.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a series of changes to the auto industry yesterday, specifically when it comes to electric vehicles, or EV’s (I refuse to say electrified vehicles).
The electric vehicle sales mandate has been scrapped entirely, in favour of rebates for EV’s.
The five-year program will give individuals and businesses up to $5,000 when they buy battery electric and fuel EVs, and up to $2,500 for plug-in hybrids.
The amounts will decrease each year. There will also be greater investment in charging station infrastructure, and they will also increase the greenhouse gas emission standards for futures vehicles.
It’s not perfect, but I think it’s a big step in the right direction because it emphasizes choice over mandates, and individual preferences over dictated quotas.
If you want to lower greenhouse gas emissions, then give people a reason to WANT to do it, instead of telling them that you know better than they do, which is what a mandate basically says.
One of the most important lessons we learned during COVID is that people respond better when you ask them rather than when you tell them, especially when they have to put THEIR money where YOUR mouth is.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines
