The announced auto strategy today can support our automotive industries in the transition to producing electrified products
Toronto, ON — February 5th, 2026 — Accelerate, Canada’s industrial alliance advancing the country’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) supply chain, is focused on building out the industrial ecosystem that will support a full mine to mobility value chain in Canada. Canada’s critical minerals wealth paired with our strong manufacturing sector can ensure that critical materials manufacturing will support advanced battery production for EVs and become an integral part of our future economy. To get there, we need to support our automotive industries in the transition to producing electrified products. The new auto strategy announced today will advance this objective.
Theses new measures will incentivize investment in Canada’s auto sector and create meaningful change throughout the supply chain. The next step will be to leverage these investments to integrate Canada’s emerging battery materials and critical materials suppliers with the existing auto sector. Driving investment here will further the goal of having made-in-Canada materials feeding into domestic battery and vehicle production.
The changes to the EV sales mandate and EV incentive program announced today are in line with recommendations made by Accelerate in Fall 2025. By adapting these critical policies we will avoid driving investment dollars out of Canada that would otherwise support the development of our own EV industry. These changes mean that Canada will continue to have a framework in place that increases EV adoption while also rewarding the manufacturers that invest in local EV production. As noted by Minister Joly today, Canada must protect what we have built in this industry while positioning ourselves for the future.
It is now critical that stakeholders throughout Canada’s critical minerals, battery materials, and automotive industries work together to ensure that Canada does not fall behind the rest of the world when it comes to building the advanced technologies, including EVs, that will drive our future economy.
Official statement
About Accelerate:
Accelerate is Canada’s industrial alliance of key actors from critical mineral mining, batteries, fuel cells, R&D, the public sector, labour, vehicle manufacturing and infrastructure. Together, we are building Canada’s Zero Emission Vehicle supply chain and industry to ensure it is a central part of Canada’s future wealth and prosperity.
>Media Contact:
Andrew McKinnon
>Interim CEO, Accelerate
