EFC Represents Industry on National EV Infrastructure Strategy
Cherith Sinasac, Director of Government Affairs at Electro-Federation Canada (EFC), recently appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU) to provide industry perspectives on the federal government’s electric vehicle (EV) policies, including the development of a national EV charging infrastructure strategy.
In her testimony, Cherith emphasized that Canada’s EV transition will be defined not only by vehicle adoption, but by the country’s ability to build a coordinated, future-ready charging infrastructure system. She highlighted EFC’s core recommendation: the need for a robust, long-term national strategy that goes beyond deploying chargers and focuses on ensuring the system works together seamlessly.
A key message brought forward was the importance of nationally coordinated frameworks and common specifications to support interoperability between vehicles, chargers, buildings, and the electricity grid. Without this alignment, infrastructure risks becoming fragmented and underutilized, limiting both industry growth and system efficiency.
Cherith also underscored the critical role of EV readiness in new construction and retrofits, particularly for multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs). Addressing these barriers is essential to ensuring all Canadians can participate in the EV transition, while also avoiding significantly higher retrofit costs in the future.
From an investment perspective, EFC called for the recapitalization of the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP) and the expansion of the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit to include on-road EV charging—two measures that would help sustain momentum and accelerate private sector deployment.
Importantly, the testimony positioned EVs not only as a source of electricity demand, but as a strategic energy asset. With the right coordination and enabling frameworks, EVs can support grid reliability, reduce peak demand, and unlock new system efficiencies through vehicle-to-grid integration.
What this means for industry
EFC’s testimony reinforces a significant opportunity for the electrical sector.
As highlighted in EFC’s recent Report Building Canada’s Future Electricity Grid, the primary barrier is not technology readiness, but fragmentation across codes and standards. The federal government must convene industry, utilities, regulators and provincial stakeholders to address the fragmented landscape of codes and standard.
The technology required to support smart grid technologies is already available. The opportunity now lies in scaling deployment—supported by clear direction, coordinated frameworks, and policy certainty. A national strategy that prioritizes interoperability and alignment will:
- Enable faster and more cost-effective infrastructure deployment
- Reduce complexity and uncertainty for manufacturers and solution providers
- Unlock new markets tied to EV readiness, building retrofits, and smart energy integration
- Strengthen Canada’s position in the evolving global EV and energy landscape
EFC will continue to advocate for policies that support a connected, scalable, and inclusive Electrical infrastructure system—and we look forward to working with government and industry partners to advance these priorities.