Government EV Subsidies Surpass Output of Canada’s Auto Industry

CEO of Volkswagen Group Oliver Blume (C) applauds as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hold up EV battery cells they signed during an event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 24, 2023. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Federal subsidies for electric vehicle manufacturers now total $32 billion, which is more than twice the annual output of the entire Canadian automobile sector.

Cabinet has approved a $322 million subsidy to Ford and its two South Korean business partners to make electric battery parts in Becancour, Quebec. On top of the federal subsidy, Ford and its associates—South Korea’s EcoPro BM and SK On Co.—will get a $322 million “partially forgivable loan” from the Quebec government, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.