Conservative MP Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, AB) accused the NDP of folding when it came to investigating foreign worker contracts with electric vehicle companies. “We had, after grand statements by Mr. [Brian] Masse on transparency and supporting workers, the NDP have folded like a cheap suit and voted against our motion,” said Genuis in a Monday speech at the House of Commons Government Operations and Estimates Committee. .Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for a full inquiry into the massive subsidies for electric vehicle battery plants on November 20 amid allegations at least one recipient is planning on bringing in temporary foreign workers to run them.READ MORE: Poilievre demands inquiry into foreign workers at subsidized EV plantsPoilievre demanded terms of a $15 billion contract with Stellantis be made public and wanted assurances no public money would go to hiring temporary foreign workers at its EV plant in Windsor, ON. “Every family in Canada will give $1,000 to this plant and now we know that the majority of the jobs won’t even go to Canadians,” he said.Liberal MPs filibustered the Conservative motion.Despite NDP MPs saying they supported the motion and having a number of their amendments incorporated, they voted against it. Genuis alleged they did not care about workers. If the Liberals add a little pressure with a filibuster, he said it “leads the NDP to changing their position and abandoning all of their stated principles.” He asked what MPs have before them. Masse submitted a motion requesting a parliamentary committee file an access to information and privacy (ATIP) request. Every person has the right to file an ATIP request. Parliamentary committees have the right to ask for documents and to set timelines in the process. While people need to go through a broken ATIP system, Genuis said parliamentary committees do not have to. After a little pressure from the Liberals, he said the NDP position is to support not releasing the documents right away. “What a debasement of the rights and the role of parliamentary committees,” he said. Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on November 22 Canada needs South Korean labour at a subsidized electric car battery plant because it is new territory. READ MORE: Canadian government justifies hiring South Korean workers at battery plant“We have to understand this is a new technology,” said Champagne. “We’ve never done batteries in North America really.”
