HARMAN BHANGHU: Ottawa has a choice - back down from this bureaucratic blunder, or explain to Canadians why they’re killing clean-tech jobs in BC while claiming to “support innovation.”

Ottawa’s EV mandate rules are so broken they’re forcing a BC clean-tech company back to diesel. Yes - you read that right. Canada’s first hybrid-electric semi-truck is being killed by red tape.

The company is Edison Motors in Golden, BC. They built a world-first hybrid-electric semi; it runs on electric motors + batteries and is recharged by a small ultra-efficient generator.

Transport Canada certified it. It slashes emissions. It’s Canadian-made. But Ottawa’s Environment Canada says they can’t sell it.

Why?  The generator is certified as “off-highway” instead of “on-highway.”

Here’s the kicker ... there’s NO “on-highway” generator of this kind in existence in Canada.

This isn’t policy - it’s just crazy.

Instead of backing Canadian innovation, Ottawa’s rules are forcing Edison to go back to building diesel trucks. It’s like banning solar panels because the bolts aren’t “approved” for rooftops.

And it’s not just an environmental loss. 

Edison is hiring dozens of skilled workers in rural BC. They’ve even built on-site housing so new staff won’t drive up local rents; a responsible, community-first approach you never see from big corporations.

If Ottawa doesn’t fix this, those jobs vanish. So do the emissions cuts. So does Canada’s shot at leading the world in hybrid-electric heavy transport.

Edison Motors should be celebrated, not strangled by red tape. The NDP-Liberals talk about supporting clean-tech jobs - but their radical EV mandate policies kill the jobs”

“Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all rules are punishing Edison Motors, a BC company that’s reducing emissions, creating jobs, and proving Canadian engineering can lead the world.” -Hon Chan, BC Conservative MLA

“Golden is proud to be home to Edison Motors. These are family-supporting jobs. Ottawa needs to fix this - before they turn a Canadian success story into a casualty of bad regulation.” -Scott McInnis, BC Conservative MLA

Conservatives are demanding that the Liberal Environment Minister Dabrusin:
✅ Grant Edison Motors an exemption NOW.
✅ Or change the rules so Canadian innovation isn’t punished.

The tools exist - financial hardship, low-volume manufacturing, or Canada-unique exemptions.

Ottawa has a choice.

Back down from this bureaucratic blunder or explain to Canadians why they’re killing clean-tech jobs in BC while claiming to “support innovation.”

The future of Canadian-made hybrid-electric trucks is on the line.

Edison Motors is ready to build them ... Ottawa just needs to get out of the way.




Harman Banghu is the MLA for Langley-Abbotsford and the Official Opposition Critic for Transportation. He was first elected in 2024.

He is a small-business owner in the heavy-load trucking industry and has seventeen years of experience within the aggregate hauling industry.

Harman is the proud father of two young children with his wife Courtney, and a coach and mentor active in the local football community.