Here is the reasons given on the purchases of cars in question. This does not seem like a big deal to me since the Conservatives also purchased "luxury vehicles" for testing as well.
Farmers are routinely buying loaded up trucks for work which would fit into the luxury class as well. All tax deductible.
http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/how-a-112k-tesla-put-the-liberals-on-the-defensive-over-emissions-testing
"In answer to questions from the Post, the department clarified that it has purchased 47 new and used light-duty vehicles for emissions testing since the Liberals were elected in November 2015. They ranged in price from $11,020 to $92,724, and 13 were luxury brands. The Tesla was purchased partly to test its battery in the Canadian climate.
Butts was quick to point out on Monday that the vehicles were bought for emissions testing, not for official use. But that did little to stem the tide of criticism, with some suggesting the government should rent or borrow the cars instead of buying them.
In an email, the department explained that buying cars is the most cost-effective way to test them, as the testing can often take several months and the cars are sometimes modified in the process.
Still, it may not be quite true that there are no alternatives. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency requires car makers to provide vehicles for testing — free of charge — to confirm the manufacturers’ own emission results. In the wake of the 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal, the agency also borrows vehicles directly from owners for two weeks of in-use testing, in exchange for a loaner vehicle and a small amount of money.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna makes her way to speak with media at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Wednesday September 20, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
But George Iny, executive director of the Automobile Protection Association, said Canada should absolutely not take cars from manufacturers for testing. “That would worry us because of the possibility of cheating,†he said. “Definitely you cannot borrow them from a car maker.â€
“Other than the optics, (buying cars) is the right thing to do,†said Eli Melnick, owner of Toronto’s Start Auto Electric, in an email. “You cannot ask the manufacturers for a loaner for obvious reasons (can you spell VW?) or even hint to anyone that you’ll be testing vehicles.â€
Canada’s process for testing vehicle emissions is nothing new. The department says it’s been purchasing vehicles for testing since 1999, and cars were previously bought through Transport Canada for the same purpose. Marlo Raynolds, McKenna’s chief of staff, has tweeted a list of luxury vehicles he claims were purchased by the former Conservative government for the same reason.
What has changed recently is that Ottawa is now purchasing more vehicles as part of its own investigation into the Volkswagen scandal, which broke in September 2015 when it was revealed the car maker was selling diesel vehicles with “defeat devices†designed to cheat emissions tests."
Farmers are routinely buying loaded up trucks for work which would fit into the luxury class as well. All tax deductible.
http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/how-a-112k-tesla-put-the-liberals-on-the-defensive-over-emissions-testing
"In answer to questions from the Post, the department clarified that it has purchased 47 new and used light-duty vehicles for emissions testing since the Liberals were elected in November 2015. They ranged in price from $11,020 to $92,724, and 13 were luxury brands. The Tesla was purchased partly to test its battery in the Canadian climate.
Butts was quick to point out on Monday that the vehicles were bought for emissions testing, not for official use. But that did little to stem the tide of criticism, with some suggesting the government should rent or borrow the cars instead of buying them.
In an email, the department explained that buying cars is the most cost-effective way to test them, as the testing can often take several months and the cars are sometimes modified in the process.
Still, it may not be quite true that there are no alternatives. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency requires car makers to provide vehicles for testing — free of charge — to confirm the manufacturers’ own emission results. In the wake of the 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal, the agency also borrows vehicles directly from owners for two weeks of in-use testing, in exchange for a loaner vehicle and a small amount of money.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna makes her way to speak with media at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Wednesday September 20, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
But George Iny, executive director of the Automobile Protection Association, said Canada should absolutely not take cars from manufacturers for testing. “That would worry us because of the possibility of cheating,†he said. “Definitely you cannot borrow them from a car maker.â€
“Other than the optics, (buying cars) is the right thing to do,†said Eli Melnick, owner of Toronto’s Start Auto Electric, in an email. “You cannot ask the manufacturers for a loaner for obvious reasons (can you spell VW?) or even hint to anyone that you’ll be testing vehicles.â€
Canada’s process for testing vehicle emissions is nothing new. The department says it’s been purchasing vehicles for testing since 1999, and cars were previously bought through Transport Canada for the same purpose. Marlo Raynolds, McKenna’s chief of staff, has tweeted a list of luxury vehicles he claims were purchased by the former Conservative government for the same reason.
What has changed recently is that Ottawa is now purchasing more vehicles as part of its own investigation into the Volkswagen scandal, which broke in September 2015 when it was revealed the car maker was selling diesel vehicles with “defeat devices†designed to cheat emissions tests."
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