The annual conference that will be held on November 9th-10th 2020 under the theme Electro-mobilize! will have a profound impact on the development of electric mobility in Canada.

While more and more people have been talking about electric mobility for more than a decade, we are witnessing an important shift in the way governments, businesses and even consumers see the transition towards electric vehicles.

From a curiosity, it has become a hot topic.

The impact of COVID-19

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Electric Mobility Canada has been advocating for a resilient economic recovery plan that could create hundreds of thousands of jobs in electric mobility in Canada. That is why we have publicly asked the following question:

While we know that electric vehicles, from light duty vehicle to heavy-duty vehicles, are coming to market, how will we make sure that this transition helps create jobs here in Canada? For example:

• Manufacturing electric cars, electric trucks, buses, school buses, bikes, boats and related infrastructure;
• Working from mining to batteries, to R&D, assembly, regulation, commercialization and exports;
• From B.C. to Nova Scotia.

That is THE question.

The September 2020 Speech from the Throne: a moment in history

It seems that our advocacy and expertise has been well received because, for the first time in Canadian history, we heard the following sentences in the 2020 Speech of the Throne:

• “The Government will make zero-emissions vehicles more affordable while investing in more charging stations across the country.
• A good example of adapting to a carbon-neutral future is building zero-emissions vehicles and batteries. Canada has the resources – from nickel to copper – needed for these clean technologies. This – combined with Canadian expertise – is Canada’s competitive edge.
• The Government will launch a new fund to attract investments in making zero-emissions products and cut the corporate tax rate in half for these companies to create jobs and make Canada a world leader in clean technology. The Government will ensure Canada is the most competitive jurisdiction in the world for clean technology companies.”

We applauded that speech because it set the stage for what could be a major shift toward the creation of a Canadian EV Industry Strategy.

A conference loaded with important discussions… and announcements

To show how serious the federal government is about a Canadian EV industry strategy:

a) the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, will open our conference with a discussion on the specific topic of a Canadian EV Industry Strategy;

b) The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources, will also be a part of our conference where he will open a discussion about the future of EV infrastructure, from battery electric to hydrogen;

c) A representative from the Canada Infrastructure Bank will talk about the $1.5 billion announcement for the purchase of electric buses and infrastructures.

What’s more, while Benoit Charette, Québec Environment Minister, will also talk about its province’s plan for the acceleration of EV adoption, many very important announcements will be made from Canadian companies.

When we add the Ford and FCA trade deal with Unifor to build electric vehicles in Canada in the last few weeks (with the support of the Canadian and Ontario governments), we realize how much has happened in the last few months and how great the opportunities are for Canada.

After having worked in the electric mobility sector for two decades, let me tell you something: Such an amazing program would have been unimaginable just a few months ago.

So we will be very glad to have you join us as we explore these important issues on November 9th and 10th.

Daniel Breton is President and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada (EMC), a national membership-based not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the advancement of e-mobility.