BYD Canada: Corporate Structure and Lobbying History
BYD Canada: Corporate Structure and Lobbying History
This post compiles publicly available information on BYD's Canadian corporate presence, drawing from federal corporate registries, lobbyist filings, and Transport Canada records.
Two Separate Canadian Entities
BYD operates two distinct corporate entities in Canada.
BYD Canada Co., Ltd.
This entity handled BYD's Canadian bus and transit operations. Key details:
- Operated a 45,000-square-foot electric bus assembly plant in Newmarket, Ontario (opened 2019)
- Produced 10 electric buses for the Toronto Transit Commission
- Pivoted to PPE manufacturing during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Received $24.6 million in government contracts for PPE as of December 31, 2020
- The Newmarket facility has since closed
- The company rebranded its North American transit operations to "RIDE" in 2022
Registered lobbyist for this entity: Robin Sears of Earnscliffe Strategy Group, registered March 2017 for zero-emission electric bus advocacy.
BYD Canada Incorporated
This is a separate federal corporation focused on passenger vehicles.
Incorporation date: April 9, 2024
Corporation type: Non-distributing corporation with 50 or fewer shareholders
Registered office: 23 Morgan's Grant Way, Ottawa, ON K2K 2G2
Directors (all listed at the same address):
- George S. Liu
- Shuping Sun
- Yongping Liu
Individuals with significant control:
- Yongping Liu (start date: April 9, 2025)
- Shuping Sun (start date: April 9, 2025)
Both individuals with significant control are listed as having "control in fact over the corporation without owning any shares."
Annual filing status: 2025 filing completed. 2026 not yet due.
This information is from the Corporations Canada federal registry, searchable at ic.gc.ca.
Lobbyist Registry Filings
Three lobbyists registered with the federal Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying for BYD Canada Incorporated in 2024.
| Lobbyist | Firm | Registration Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Doherty | Crestview Strategy | July 15, 2024 | Inactive |
| Christine McMillan | Crestview Strategy | July 24, 2024 | Inactive |
| Bridget Howe | Crestview Strategy | 2024 | Inactive |
Bridget Howe logged four monthly communication reports before the registration became inactive.
All three Crestview Strategy registrations are currently listed as inactive in the federal lobbyist registry.
In November 2024, Automotive News Canada reported that Crestview Strategy had "cut off outreach efforts" to BYD following Canada's August 2024 announcement of 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
The federal lobbyist registry is searchable at lobbycanada.gc.ca.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2017 | Robin Sears registers as lobbyist for BYD Canada (bus operations) |
| 2019 | BYD opens Newmarket, Ontario bus assembly plant |
| 2020 | First BYD bus delivered to TTC; plant pivots to PPE production |
| 2022 | BYD rebrands North American transit operations to "RIDE" |
| April 9, 2024 | BYD Canada Incorporated federally incorporated |
| July 15, 2024 | Crestview Strategy lobbyists register for BYD Canada Incorporated |
| August 26, 2024 | Canada announces 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs |
| November 2024 | Media reports BYD has "paused" Canadian market entry plans |
| November 2024 | Crestview Strategy registrations go inactive |
| January 16, 2026 | Canada announces reduced 6.1% tariff under 49,000 vehicle quota |
| April 9, 2025 | Shuping Sun and Yongping Liu listed as individuals with significant control |
Transport Canada Filings
BYD Auto Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen) is registered in Transport Canada's Appendix G program, which allows foreign manufacturers to certify vehicles for import into Canada.
Registered manufacturing locations:
- 3007 Hengping Road, Pingshan, Shenzhen
- No. 1 West Qinling Avenue, Xi'An
Vehicle category: Passenger Car
Transport Canada paused new Appendix G applications from Chinese manufacturers in July 2025, but stated the pause "will not impact manufacturers registered in this program who maintain compliance."
BYD's Appendix G registration predates this pause.
The Appendix G registry is published by Transport Canada as a CSV file and updated periodically.
What the Records Show
The corporate registry indicates BYD Canada Incorporated was established in April 2024, four months before Canada announced the 100% tariff on Chinese EVs and 22 months before the January 2026 tariff reduction.
The corporation remains active. Its 2025 annual filing was completed.
Lobbying activity through Crestview Strategy began in July 2024 and went inactive following the August 2024 tariff announcement.
The three directors and two individuals with significant control are all listed at the same Ottawa residential address. The "control in fact without owning any shares" designation indicates these individuals exercise control on behalf of shareholders who are not listed in the public registry.