The House of Commons Industry Committee voted to investigate the hiring of South Koreans at a subsidized battery factory, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “The motivation is simple: transparency,” said Conservative MP Rick Perkins (South Shore-St. Margarets, NS) at a Commons Industry Committee meeting. “We have $15 billion of taxpayers’ money going to subsidize one of the largest foreign auto companies in the world.”MPs demanded to know how many foreigners will work at taxpayers’ expense. Cabinet committed $10 billion in federal aid to build a Stellantis electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, ON, in 2022. The Ontario government pledged an additional $5 billion in aid. Perkins said it “is impossible for taxpayers to understand whether or not there is a contract that compels Stellantis and their subsidiary now in Windsor to actually hire Canadians.” “One would think if you are going to give that level of subsidy you would actually put into the contract that the job commitments are for Canadian jobs,” he said. He sponsored a motion asking the Commons Industry Committee to investigate the hiring of foreign workers at the plant and examine the Stellantis contract. The committee approved the motion without a formal vote after Conservative, Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs expressed support for it. “Yes, there will be Korean workers who come to Canada to help with the installation of the equipment,” said Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk (Windsor-Tecumseh, ON). “That is normal.”Kusmierczyk admitted the Canadian government knows “there will be some Korean workers who will move to Windsor because they will be working with Canadian and local workers building the batteries.” This is because it is a new industry. While South Koreans are expected to be hired, Kusmierczyk denied 1,600 of them will work at the plant. He did not explain the 1,600 figure disclosed by South Korea’s ambassador during a Thursday visit to Windsor. “I don’t think the Ambassador from South Korea actually comes to Windsor to vacation,” said NDP MP Brian Masse (Windsor West, ON). “He was here for a particular reason.”Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for a full inquiry into the massive subsidies for electric vehicle battery plants on Monday 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 should go to hiring temporary foreign workers at its EV plant in Windsor.“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.
The House of Commons Industry Committee voted to investigate the hiring of South Koreans at a subsidized battery factory, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “The motivation is simple: transparency,” said Conservative MP Rick Perkins (South Shore-St. Margarets, NS) at a Commons Industry Committee meeting. “We have $15 billion of taxpayers’ money going to subsidize one of the largest foreign auto companies in the world.”MPs demanded to know how many foreigners will work at taxpayers’ expense. Cabinet committed $10 billion in federal aid to build a Stellantis electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, ON, in 2022. The Ontario government pledged an additional $5 billion in aid. Perkins said it “is impossible for taxpayers to understand whether or not there is a contract that compels Stellantis and their subsidiary now in Windsor to actually hire Canadians.” “One would think if you are going to give that level of subsidy you would actually put into the contract that the job commitments are for Canadian jobs,” he said. He sponsored a motion asking the Commons Industry Committee to investigate the hiring of foreign workers at the plant and examine the Stellantis contract. The committee approved the motion without a formal vote after Conservative, Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs expressed support for it. “Yes, there will be Korean workers who come to Canada to help with the installation of the equipment,” said Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk (Windsor-Tecumseh, ON). “That is normal.”Kusmierczyk admitted the Canadian government knows “there will be some Korean workers who will move to Windsor because they will be working with Canadian and local workers building the batteries.” This is because it is a new industry. While South Koreans are expected to be hired, Kusmierczyk denied 1,600 of them will work at the plant. He did not explain the 1,600 figure disclosed by South Korea’s ambassador during a Thursday visit to Windsor. “I don’t think the Ambassador from South Korea actually comes to Windsor to vacation,” said NDP MP Brian Masse (Windsor West, ON). “He was here for a particular reason.”Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for a full inquiry into the massive subsidies for electric vehicle battery plants on Monday 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 should go to hiring temporary foreign workers at its EV plant in Windsor.“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.
