Tax Dollars Need Job Guarantees
Ottawa, ON – Raquel Dancho, Conservative Shadow Minister for Industry, issued the following statement on the opening of the NextStar Energy Battery Plant in Windsor, Ontario:
“While any work created for Canadian auto workers is welcome, serious questions remain about whether these jobs will be stable and sustainable over the long term given the growing uncertainty around the federal government’s EV strategy.
“In recent years, the Liberals have committed tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize an electric vehicle supply chain, yet several heavily subsidized projects across the sector are already struggling or have been scaled back.
“Liberal failures to secure job guarantees for public investments mean thousands of families are now without work. We have seen 1,200 workers laid off at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, where BrightDrop electric delivery vehicles were being produced, and 3,000 workers laid off at Stellantis in Brampton after production of the Jeep Compass was shifted to the United States.
“These developments raise legitimate concerns about whether massive subsidies alone are enough to secure manufacturing jobs in Canada.
“Before the current trade tensions and tariffs from the United States, Canada’s auto sector and related industries employed more than 600,000 Canadians and contributed $16.5 billion to our economy. These are highly skilled workers whose livelihoods depend on Canada remaining competitive in North American manufacturing.
“At the same time, the federal government continues to plan subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles that will largely be manufactured outside Canada, including in the United States. This, while allowing tens of thousands of Chinese EVs into the Canadian market which raises both security concerns and competitive pressures for our manufacturers.
“During a period where our auto sector is already under pressure, tax dollars should be focused on strengthening domestic production and protecting our jobs. Conservatives have proposed a simple and practical measure to support Canadian manufacturing: removing the federal sales tax on the purchase of new vehicles made in Canada.
“It is critical for our country to secure a tariff-free deal in the auto sector to protect the jobs we have today and the investment we hope to attract tomorrow. Unfortunately, it does not appear the Liberal government is any closer to achieving that outcome than it was a year ago.
“Conservatives believe we must leverage the strengths of our economy, including our natural resources, skilled workforce and industrial capacity, to secure a better deal for our workers. We will continue to advance policies that make Canada the most competitive place in the world to build, invest and create jobs.”