WINNIPEG — Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan, PC Critic for Finance and Manitoba Hydro, issued a statement today regarding the NDP’s electric vehicle (EV) rebate:
“The NDP rebate for EVs will do almost nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while costing Manitobans $25 million in public funds and helping only the wealthiest drivers.
This program comes at a time of an affordability crisis, as hard-working Manitoba families struggle to purchase groceries and pay for childcare. Nearly half of Manitobans are $200 or less away from being unable to pay their monthly bills, and many cannot afford a vehicle at all, let alone EVs priced up to $70,000. With only a very small number of people qualifying for EVs, the rebate amounts to a lottery for the fortunate few at the expense of all Manitobans who are funding this narrow, niche program.
The Kinew government is touting the rebate as a way to protect the environment, yet they have no plan to reduce emissions and no emission targets. Additionally, the NDP have no strategy to generate new electricity for EVs. Manitoba is projected to run out of electrical generation capacity by 2029, yet the NDP want more people to drive EVs and consume more energy.
Lastly, the NDP are offering an EV rebate while EVs are sharply declining in popularity across Canada—from 68 percent in 2022 to 46 percent in 2024—due to concerns over their limited range, insufficient charging infrastructure, and performance in cold weather.
The rebate neither makes life more affordable nor protects the environment. This announcement once again demonstrates that the NDP are more interested in creating flashy headlines than in delivering a plan to actually improve life for Manitobans.”–News Desk