Matthew Lau: Carney government should scrap all damaging EV policies

As the iron door of reality slams onto the toe of even the most fervent advocates of climate change action, the Carney government has walked back its electric vehicle (EV) mandate, which would have banned the sale of new conventionally powered vehicles in Canada by 2035.

However, the government will not abandon its push to switch Canadians to EVs. It’s bringing back rebates of $5,000 for EVs under $50,000 (for vehicles made in Canada or in countries where we have free-trade agreements) and plans to offer billions in subsidies to automakers. The continued push for EVs highlights the significant discrepancy between how individual Canadians want to spend their money and how the federal government thinks they ought to spend it.

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Stop setting unrealistic ‘aspirational’ targets

One of the many ways governments deceive the public on the progress they’re making in implementing their policies is through the setting of so-called “aspirational” targets.

What that really means is that the government is setting a target it knows it can’t achieve when it announces it.

A glaring example of this was evident in the climate policies of the federal government under Justin Trudeau. Even Prime Minister Mark Carney has criticized the practice, describing it as “too much regulation, not enough action.”

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The Canadian delusion of ‘soft power’ is dead, and good riddance

Diplomats call it “thought leadership”: the triumphant achievement of being the first to propose a plan of action for an urgent international problem.

And no problem could be more urgent than how we survive in the pitiless world of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, with raw power politics trampling upon rules and laws.

The unlikely “thought leader” on this question turns out to be Mark Carney, the new prime minister of Canada. “The old order is not coming back,” he said, in a highly acclaimed speech at Davos. “We should not mourn it.”

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An era of ‘wrecking ball’ politics: What the Munich Security Report says about Canada’s moment of reckoning

Almost every foreign diplomat you run across lately simply gushes about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech, and how his remarks about middle powers banding together went viral in Europe.

As much as the speech represented a wake-up call for Canada and its allies, a new report that sets up the annual Munich Security Conference extends and sharpens Carney’s argument and delivers a series of stark warnings.

One of them is fairly straightforward — if not somewhat uncomfortable — for Canadians.

Where allies are concerned, it’s not enough to just show up. You’ve got to bring something useful.

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Carney, Ford discussed idea of an early federal election to secure majority, sources say

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have discussed the possibility of an early federal election in casual conversations about the importance of a majority mandate to deal with uncertain economic times, according to three sources.

The sources said the Progressive Conservative Premier, who has forged a close relationship with the Liberal Leader, offered his opinion that the country needs economic stability.


Hmmmm …

h/t Mauser

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Carney seems willing to throw Taiwan under the bus for his pal Xi

Ottawa May Be Delaying Taiwan Trade Deal to Avoid Upsetting China, Taipei’s Envoy Says

Taiwan’s ambassador to Canada says Ottawa may be delaying the signing of a trade agreement with the island nation as it’s seeking closer ties with Beijing.

Harry Tseng, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada, said in an interview with CBC’s French arm Radio-Canada that Taiwan has been left with the impression that Canada is seeking to improve its relations with China at the expense of its relationship with Taiwan.

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Think tank says federal EV quota changes unrealistic and costly

The federal government’s plan to replace electric vehicle sales quotas with a reduced emissions standard is unrealistic and could saddle Canadians with massive costs, according to the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI).

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that instead of gradually banning conventional vehicles by 2035, 75% of new vehicles sold in that year would need to meet an electric-equivalent emissions standard.

(Incognito)

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We’re still waiting for Mark Carney to deliver on one of his earliest promises

A rogue ambassador to the United States, a new office in Washington for the “Commonwealth of Alberta,” another Mark Carney world tour: we’re just over a month into 2026, and already Canadian diplomacy is headed madly off in all directions.

Let’s start with Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who last week heeded a call that apparently he alone could hear and headed south to liaise with his college chum U.S. Vice-President JD Vance. Acting as consulting diplomat, Jivani seemed certain that if only someone from Ottawa listened to the Trump administration, we could figure out this trade-war business. He later said he’d gleaned invaluable “insights” he couldn’t wait to sharem. He even passed on a message from the president: “Tell the Canadians I love them.”

Someone at the Star is cranky.

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Divisive identity politics risk fragmenting Canada further

Canada finds itself listing in stormy waters, split between several solitudes. We are no longer just divided between French and English. Now we are torn along national identity, media ecosystems, class, and basic beliefs about Canadian values and culture. It is doubtful that Canada will be able to remain a unified country if we continue under an incompetent skipper, Mr. Carney, at the helm.

The heartbreak is that Canada, our beloved Canada, has enormous potential. Tragically, however, we have been governed for years by people who, whether for personal gain or due to ineptitude, failed to do the hard work of nation‑building. Instead, they fueled the destruction of our national identity and values, and the degradation of our economy.


Related …

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BURTON: Canada and the perils of denialism — are Canadians prepared for the fallout?

Canada is not in crisis because it is under siege from hostile foreign powers. Nor is it a victim of some unavoidable global conspiracy or historical inevitability. Canada’s predicament is far more unsettling as it is largely self‑inflicted. The country is struggling because too many of its leaders — and too many citizens — are trapped in an acute and dangerous form of denialism about the nation’s vulnerabilities, its declining institutional capacity, and the cumulative consequences of decades of misguided political, economic, and social decisions.

(Incognito)

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Canadians still want to own a home but they no longer believe it is possible

Here’s the truth about the housing crisis in Canada: it is no longer just a policy problem. It is becoming a political identity problem.

new national survey conducted by Abacus Data in partnership with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) finds that Canadians have not given up on the dream of homeownership. In fact, it remains deeply rooted. Seven in ten non-homeowners (70%) still say they want to own a home someday, including nearly nine in ten young adults aged 18 to 29 (89%) and 80% of those aged 30 to 44.

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The Canada F-35 Fighter Deal Might Be Close to Collapse

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is inching closer to a possible decision to end Canada’s F-35 procurement plans and accept an offer from Sweden’s Saab, instead, with news this week revealing that the Swedish manufacturer is now providing Ottawa with detailed, technical information on what a JAS 39 Gripen fighter deal would actually look like in practice.

Among the topics currently being discussed in Ottawa are timelines for technology transfers, the speed at which a Canadian production line could be established, and how Canada could participate in future export sales of the aircraft. 

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Terry Glavin: Carney-China deal full of Trojan Horses on police and propaganda

“Trojan horses.”

That’s shaping up to be the most useful way of describing several mostly overlooked elements of the “strategic partnership” Prime Minister Mark Carney entered into with Chinese Supreme Leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month. It wasn’t all about canola and cars.

China and Carney will be the death of Canada.

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Human Trafficking Alert: Carney turns low-wage LMIA processing back on in 8 regions for his corporate welfare pals

Service Canada will again accept and process low‑wage LMIA applications in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Kingston, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton and Montréal for the first quarter of 2026, reported the US-based VisaHQ.

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OLDCORN: Immigration is out of control and Canadians know it

Canadians are not “turning on newcomers.” Canadians are turning on a system that has stopped making sense.

A national survey released on January 29 by Research Co. found only 34% of Canadians now say immigration is having a mostly positive effect on the country.

Nearly half, 48%, say the impact is mostly negative. That’s not a minor tremor. It’s a hard swing in public mood, and it has been moving fast.

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