The companies had multi-year contracts to buy credits from their rivals to avoid fines under the Canadian government’s electric-vehicle sales mandate, which has been paused for next year, according to comments by Brian Kingston, CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association in the House of Commons international trade committee. The association lobbies for General Motors, Stellantis and Ford. (The Logic)

Talking point: The EV sales mandate’s future is unclear. The rule capped sales of gas-only vehicles at 80 per cent of total new light vehicle sales, and would have fined automakers $20,000 per vehicle above the limit starting in 2026. The firms could instead buy credits from compliant rivals, which could be banked for five model years. After automakers lost more than US$12 billion on tariffs this year, potentially threatening future investments in Canadian auto manufacturing, the federal government is reconsidering the policy.