Tesla products now excluded from B.C. Hydro rebates in response to U.S. tariffs
Premier says taxpayers would 'want to throw up' if they learned their money was going to Elon Musk
B.C. Hydro has excluded Tesla products from its electric vehicle charger rebate program in response to U.S. tariffs.
Premier David Eby says the change is a direct response to politics south of the border.
"It's just for Tesla and it's because of Elon Musk," Eby said, referring to the company's controversial CEO.
Musk is closely affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly stated his desire to annex Canada and promised to use tariffs on Canadian products as leverage against the country.
Eby said he felt that if taxpayers heard thousands of dollars were going to Musk's company through the subsidy program, "they'd want to throw up," prompting the change.
The rebate program allows British Columbians to get up to $350 to purchase and install an EV charger in their homes.
As of March 12, Tesla chargers, energy storage batteries and inverters are not eligible for rebates, according to a notice posted by B.C. Hydro, which oversees the program. Those who have purchased or received pre-approval for their Tesla products before March 12 can still qualify for rebates.
Energy Minister Adrian Dix told reporters on Thursday morning that he had requested the change after reviewing the province's rebate programs over the weekend.
"I thought they [Tesla products] shouldn't be made available on a public subsidy program right now. I don't think anyone in British Columbia needs to be told why, and I think most people would support their removal from that list," he said.
News of the change came the same day British Columbia's government introduced legislation to give itself sweeping powers to respond to Donald Trump, whose actions Eby has described as a threat to both the province's economy and the integrity of Canada as a whole.
Amid the U.S.-Canada trade war, the provincial government said it's working to include Canadian goods in its rebate programs and exclude American products whenever possible.
Dix said Tesla products are still available in British Columbia, but taxpayer money would not help subsidize their purchase.
Tesla vehicles have already been removed from the province's electric vehicle subsidy program, but that decision was not political. Instead, it was the result of changes last year made to limit the subsidy to vehicles with a manufacturer's suggested retail price below $50,000 for cars and below $70,000 for larger vehicles.
This is the latest attempt to bolster the made-in-Canada movement in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has previously suggested placing harsher restrictions on Tesla, vowing in February to slap a 100 per cent trade tax on all Tesla products if his party formed government in the next election.
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With files from Katie DeRosa