Canada Set to Side with China on EVs

Why Canada Had 100% EV Tariffs / Alignment with the US

• Several commenters say Canada’s auto sector has long been tightly integrated with the US (Auto Pact, NAFTA/USMCA), with parts and vehicles crossing the border repeatedly and 1 in 10 US cars once made in Canada.
• Tariffs were framed as:
  • Protection of ~hundreds of thousands of Canadian auto-related jobs, especially in Ontario and Quebec.
  • Alignment with US industrial and security policy; one comment cites reporting that Canada’s 100% tariffs followed direct US “encouragement.”
• Others argue Canada “has no independent EV strategy” and simply followed US policy because there were no domestic EV makers.

Shifting Dynamics: Trump, Biden, and De‑integration

• Multiple posts claim Trump-era policies “blew up” the integrated North American auto system; examples include production moving from Canada to US plants.
• Some see the US as actively trying to dismantle Canada’s auto sector while shielding its own, forcing Canada to reconsider and potentially pivot toward China or Europe.

Pros and Cons of Letting in Chinese EVs

• Pro-access side:
  • Chinese EVs are cheaper and technically competitive; tariffs are seen as “artificial barriers” blocking mass EV adoption.
  • The gas-car industry is “dying anyway,” so Canada might as well trade EV access for better treatment of canola/pork exports.
  • Some suggest joint ventures or local plants by Chinese firms as a compromise.
• Protectionist side:
  • Fear of Chinese overcapacity “dumping” destroying what remains of Canadian auto manufacturing and hollowing out mid-sized industrial cities.
  • Once manufacturing is gone, Canada becomes a pure resource exporter with social decay in former factory towns.

National Security and Economic Dependence

• One camp: deep dependence on China is labeled a “massive national security threat” (dumping, IP theft, political influence operations).
• Others counter:
  • Dependence on the US is already destabilizing, given recent coercive trade behavior.
  • As a small country, Canada must be dependent on large partners; diversification (including China and Europe) is seen as rational.
  • Some stress that Western elites, not China, offshored manufacturing and should be blamed.

EV Policy, Climate, and Cold Weather

• Several note Canada has an EV sales mandate and has subsidized EV/battery plants, but critics call the mandate “toothless” and say the domestic industry drags its feet and prices EVs as luxury products.
• Oil & gas interests and right-leaning media are accused of running anti-EV disinformation.
• A side debate covers EV viability in Canadian winters:
  • One commenter claims EVs “can’t function” at –40°C; others rebut this as exaggeration, noting such temperatures are rare where most Canadians live, that Chinese and European markets also face cold climates, and that cold primarily affects efficiency, not operability.

Domestic Politics and Regional Tensions

• Ontario’s auto sector and the Prairies’ resource exports (oil, gas, canola, potash) are portrayed as being pulled in opposite directions by US and Chinese tariffs.
• Some see Canada trapped: protect auto and lose agricultural markets, or open to Chinese EVs and sacrifice what’s left of auto.
• There is pessimism about Canada’s ability to create its own competitive EV maker given its small domestic market and US hostility to Canadian auto exports.

Tariffs, Strategy, and Future Scenarios

• Several argue a 100% tariff is clearly political and indefensible economically; they suggest EU-style mid-level tariffs that roughly offset Chinese subsidies.
• Some expect Canada will ultimately cut a deal either with the US (keeping high tariffs) or with China (lowering tariffs in exchange for agricultural concessions or local production).
• A few participants emphasize that maintaining any domestic auto manufacturing capacity is strategically important and shouldn’t be abandoned lightly, even if legacy gas-vehicle plants are doomed.

Perceptions of China–Canada Relations

• One commenter notes China’s generally positive popular image of Canada (historic figures, cultural touchpoints) and expresses confusion about how the relationship became hostile.
• Others stress that whatever cultural goodwill exists, the current dynamic is now dominated by hard trade, industrial, and security calculations on all sides.