CTF urges B.C. to repeal vehicle ban as federal government backs off 

February 5,2026

RED FM News Desk

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the B.C. government to immediately repeal the Zero Emission Vehicle Act, which aims to ban the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles in the province by 2035. 

“Canadians forced Ottawa to retreat from its ban on new gas and diesel vehicles, and B.C. should end its unaffordable policy too,” said Carson Binda, CTF B.C. Director. “The provincial government is out of step with the rest of Canada and shouldn’t push a policy that raises costs and limits British Columbians’ choice of vehicles.” 

The federal government recently announced it is ending its 2035 ban, replacing it with billions in corporate subsidies and new regulations tied to electric vehicles. Meanwhile, B.C. has yet to repeal its own ban under the Zero-Emission Vehicle Act. 

B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix has acknowledged that the province’s targets—90 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035—are no longer realistic. He added that the provincial government was waiting to see Ottawa’s plan before adjusting its approach. 

“Dix should stop procrastinating and immediately scrap B.C.’s plan to ban new gas and diesel vehicles,” Binda said. “And B.C. needs to go further than Ottawa by ending the ban without overspending on corporate subsidies.”