Cheap Chinese EV imports would be great for the planet. So why are usually climate-obsessed Liberals protecting autoworker jobs instead?

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I’m not by any measure a climate fanatic, even if, to put it in Poilievre-rhyming-slang, I “backs the tax.” And I’m by no means convinced that, with all the damage done mining the minerals that go into them, EVs are a net plus for the environment. Hybrids have always seemed a reasonable compromise to me, even if zealots convinced that oil is the root of all evil brook no compromise.

But, having checked out the online reviews, at least some of which seem honest, I’d be sorely tempted to try the Seagull, a sub-compact EV from China’s BYD that could retail for US$10,000-$12,000 — which is what: about $45,000 Canadian? Just kidding, at this week’s exchange rate it’s $13,699-$16,438 Canadian. OK, that’s not quite so attractive as $10K-$12K. But still, for a car, a new one, which an urbanite such as myself could use for kicking around town, it’s a pretty attractive price.

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Granted, “Seagull” isn’t thrilling. I’m more used to cars having names like Mustang, Taurus, Cougar, Impala, Barracuda and the like. “Seagull” is a bit tame. It’s part of BYD’s “Ocean” series, which also includes the larger and more expensive “Dolphin” and “Seal” EVs. Also tame, though seals apparently are nasty if you get too close. Checking online to see if seagulls are culturally significant in China, I found one post arguing, based on a Taoist fable, that they’re symbols of alertness to coming danger — which fits neatly with a climate-alarmist story.

In Canadian culture, by contrast, seagulls are generally regarded as scavenging nuisances, which is exactly the attitude our governments are taking regarding BYD’s Seagull and other Chinese EVs: as nuisances that have to be........

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