Trudeau says Poilievre urging EV tariff is ‘bologna’ as industry awaits decision

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attacked a pledge by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles by 100 per cent, but Trudeau did not answer when asked why his government hasn’t moved sooner on introducing a surtax.

“It’s a bit of a joke that Poilievre is suddenly talking about workers in the industry,” Trudeau said at a funding announcement for the EV industry in eastern Ontario Monday.

“For (Poilievre) to suddenly turn around and say, ‘Oh, we’re worried about EVs,’ that’s bologna. He’s looking for a political angle. Because that’s all he does,” the prime minister said.

Trudeau also said if Poilievre is elected, he would cut investments in Canada’s EV industry, a sector that continues to receive massive government subsidies.

“He’d be cutting our investments in EVs, in building an extraordinary EV supply chain in Canada, something we’ve been doing as a government,” said the prime minister.

The Liberal government is weighing whether to match U.S. tariffs on Chinese EVs, saying a decision is coming “soon” and that “it’s clear action is necessary – such as a surtax.”

The Biden administration increased tariffs on Chinese EVs from 25 to 100 per cent last May. The Ontario government and Canadian automotive industry urged Ottawa to follow suit. The Department of Finance wrapped a 30-day consultation process earlier this month.

Poilievre called for a 100 per cent tariff hike last week, along with higher levies on Chinese steel and aluminum. He also accused Trudeau of “doing nothing” to protect Canadian workers from an increasingly aggressive China.

“They’re doing this with the goal of crushing our steel, our aluminum, and our automotive production and taking our jobs away. Trudeau has failed to