this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2024
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Alright I'll say it. I hate how pricey cars and transportation currently are and would totally go for a decent middle of the road (no pun intended) EV that costs like $10-20K less than whats currently on offer. Now I know theres a lot of unfair competition and nuanced takes around this topic so someone please tell me why that might not be the best stance to take, I'm trying to be a little more informed.
For me, first and foremost is the fact that Chinese companies don't have to operate by the same rules here as North American companies have to operate by in China. Until that's fixed, I have no interest in letting them into our market. And that's before we get into issues like some of the more valid arguments for a limited amount of protectionism.
Right, but we have ways to require all automakers to build safe vehicles, commonly known as “safety regulations” that apply to both foreign and domestic companies. The same minimum requirements apply to a Toyota built in Woodstock or a VinFast built in Vietnam. That has nothing to do with tariffs, which are just a tax on consumers on foreign imports. This has nothing to do with protecting Canadians and everything to do with protecting big business.
I think what no politician wants to admit is that car industry is a strategically important industry and has to be protected for geopolitical reasons alone. We need the manufacturing capability to maintain our industrial base as a hedge against any future conflict. (I lump it in with why you need domestic milk and food production, vaccine production, etc. When the going gets tough, you need that.)
That said, I do feel the bailouts from 2009/2010 were total horseshit and these companies got off scot-free. They've had ages to prepare to make EVs and squandered it, and now have to be protected by moves like this. We just end up paying for it, either through subsidies (eg. battery plants) or through the inflated prices of EVs.