Is “Made in Canada” About to Get a Whole Lot Greener? Why We Can’t Afford to be Nationalist About EVs.

Of course, the prospect of Chinese collaboration raises legitimate questions. We need to be vigilant about intellectual property protection and ensure any partnerships align with our values and labour standards. No one wants to see Canada becoming a pawn in geopolitical games or contributing to unethical supply chains. These are vital considerations, and our government needs to be transparent and accountable in addressing them.

However, let’s be honest: behind some of these anxieties lurks a more insidious undercurrent. It’s the same strain of economic nationalism that fuels protectionist trade policies and paints any foreign collaboration as a threat to Canadian sovereignty. It’s the same isolationist rhetoric that we see creeping into right-wing movements globally, a dangerous simplification of complex issues that serves only to divide and distract.

And frankly, in the face of the climate crisis, that kind of thinking is not just short-sighted; it’s downright suicidal. Building a robust EV industry in Canada isn’t just about jobs and economic growth; it’s about securing our future. It’s about reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, lowering emissions, and creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for future generations. We cannot afford to let ideological purity – or, worse, thinly veiled xenophobia – stand in the way of achieving these goals.

The reality is, China has made significant strides in EV technology. They control a significant portion of the global supply chain for battery materials and have invested heavily in research and development. To suggest we can simply ignore this reality and build a world-class EV industry in isolation is, at best, naive. At worst, it’s a deliberate attempt to sabotage meaningful climate action.

We need to be pragmatic. We need to leverage the expertise and resources available to us, wherever they may be. We can, and should, insist on fair and ethical partnerships, but closing the door on potential collaboration simply because of geopolitical anxieties is a recipe for failure.

This isn’t about abandoning Canadian values or compromising our sovereignty. It’s about recognizing that tackling the climate crisis requires global cooperation. It’s about understanding that “Made in Canada” doesn’t have to mean “Made in Canada, and only Canada, using only Canadian resources and expertise.” It can mean “Designed in Canada, built in Canada, with components sourced ethically and sustainably from around the world.”

Let’s have a nuanced conversation about the risks and opportunities of international collaboration. Let’s demand transparency and accountability from our government. But let’s not allow fear and prejudice to cloud our judgment and prevent us from building a cleaner, more sustainable future for all. The world is changing, and if we want to thrive, we need to embrace collaboration, not cling to outdated notions of economic nationalism. The alternative is a future powered by fossil fuels, a future that none of us can afford. And frankly, the other alternative seems to be a future that the current conservative leader of the opposition is comfortable with.