The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, May 18, edition that in promoting the case for subsidies, the Liberals' April budget said the shift to using electric vehicles is a "vital part" of Canada's push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A Globe editorial says those vehicles do not need to be made in Canada. An imported EV will do just as good a job in lightening a driver's carbon footprint. The Globe wonders whether it really matters if the EVs that Canadians drive are assembled in North America or Europe. Warning signs are already flashing about the state of the EV industry. The International Energy Agency sees intensifying competition in the EV sector, noting that new entrants from China are putting pressure on incumbent automakers. There are similar pressures in the battery industry, with gross profit margins shrinking from 30 per cent in 2015 to 20 per cent in 2022. Intensifying competition and shrinking profits is the industry that Ottawa is betting billions on. Let Stellantis and LG decamp, and let someone else pour $13-billion into their business. The Globe says every effort should focus on reducing regulatory and other barriers that stand in the way of unlocking Canada's critical-mineral riches.