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We all listened with interest to the Prime Minister’s pronouncements on Friday, Sept. 5, outlining his strategies for Canada. As former economist and Reformer MP Herb Grubel once told Paul Martin about his just announced budget, “I give you an A-minus. It would have been an A-plus if you had done it sooner.”

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I would give Carney an A-minus for trying, but the details reveal far too much government interference and a scary amount of government spending.

To start, instead of removing the 20% EV sales quota for 2026, he paused it to do a “60-day review” of the policy. That simply prolongs the agony for anxious automakers. Moreover, it is hard to understand what he means by stating this is to “give the auto sector flexibility by waiving 2026 model year vehicles from Electric Vehicle Availability Standard requirements and by launching an immediate 60-day review to reduce costs.” Is he waiving or removing? What is being studied?

Realistically, the 2026 deadline is dead because EV sales are down, and the deadline will not be met by anyone. Admit it and move on. The 2030-net-zero mantra also seems to be on its deathbed. Heard this past week is a subtle movement on the lips of some ministers to net-zero-2050.

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