Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) adopted both positive and negative positions on climate policy in Canada since 2022. While publicly available evidence suggests only moderately active climate policy engagement by the CVMA, its President & CEO Brian Kingston engaged in at least 31 registered communications with federal government officials on environment-related matters in 2024. The CVMA advocates for regulatory alignment between Canada and the United States, driving a variety of policy positions including opposition to Canada’s federal zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales mandate and support for ZEV purchase incentives.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: The CVMA’s top-line messaging on climate policy is very limited. In a July 2024 federal lobbying registration, the association opposed any changes to carbon pricing mechanisms that would undermine automotive industry competitiveness. It is unclear whether the CVMA supports governmental 2050 carbon neutrality targets in line with the IPCC, and the association does not appear to have stated an explicit position on international climate treaties like the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policies: Beyond policies related to energy transition, CVMA’s engagement with climate-related regulations is limited. The association supports the protection of Canadian vehicle emission standards in future free trade agreements. In a statement on its website (as of January 2025) the CVMA emphasized the risks of carbon leakage due to Canada's industrial carbon pricing system.
Positioning on Energy Transition: The CVMA has both positive and negative engagement on policies related to the transition of the energy mix. The association consistently supported more generous purchase incentives and public investment in infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) at both federal and provincial levels. Federally, the CVMA supported an expansion of the federal iZEV (Incentives for Zero-Emissions Vehicles) program in a February 2024 written submission to Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, and the association’s President & CEO Brian Kingston supported green industrial policies like the Investment Tax Credit for Clean Technology Manufacturing in a March 2023 interview. Provincially, Kingston expressed support for Manitoba’s electric vehicle rebate program in a July 2024 statement, and criticized the government of British Columbia’s decision to weaken the CleanBC Go Electric rebate in a June 2024 press release.
At the same time, the CVMA opposed ZEV sales mandates in Canada federally and provincially. For example, in May 2024 comments and September 2024 comments made to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade, CVMA President & CEO Brian Kingston advocated for the mandate to be scrapped. In a December 2024 statement, Kingston opposed Quebec’s provincial EV sales targets and internal combustion engine vehicle ban, and opposed the province's proposed ZEV mandate for heavy-duty vehicles in January 2025 comments to Quebec's Committee on Transportation and the Environment. Kingston also criticized British Columbia’s ZEV sales mandate for being unrealistic in an October 2024 interview with Canada’s National Observer, and for damaging the provincial economy in a March 2025 joint press release.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2025.