Canadian government justifies hiring South Korean workers at battery plant

Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Canada needs South Korean labour at a subsidized electric car battery plant because it is new territory, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “We have to understand this is a new technology,” said Champagne at a press conference. “We’ve never done batteries in North America really.”Cabinet would not disclose how many foreign workers it agreed to subsidize at a Stellantis factory in Windsor, ON. Champagne said the Canadian government will “have a few people, a very few people, selected people, who need to come to transfer technology because this is a new industry.”A reporter asked him if he knew there was going to be temporary foreign workers. He said no. He called for people to “not lose sight of the big picture.” In this case, he said the big picture is it landed one of the largest battery plants in North America. Because of this initiative, he said it will maximize Canadian workers. “We’re going to have a transfer of knowledge allowing us to be successful for decades to come,” he said. Cabinet agreed to pay $10 billion in subsidies for the Stellantis battery factory to create middle class jobs in 2022. The Windsor Police Service (WPS) said the South Korean ambassador to Canada visited Windsor on Thursday to check preparations for “approximately 1,600 South Koreans travelling to work and live in our community.” The ambassador anticipated a large South Korean workforce in southern Ontario. Despite a promise of a large workforce, the South Korean Embassy and WPS have not commented on these remarks. Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said he was unaware of the basis of the claim 1,600 South Koreans would build the factory beginning in 2024. “We have to look at the facts,” said Boissonnault.A reporter asked about the number of foreign workers who are going to be involved in this project. “There is no justification we can see for the number that the South Korean Ambassador raised with 1,600 people,” said Boissonnault. 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.

Canadian government justifies hiring South Korean workers at battery plant

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