SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Feb/15/24 2:50:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are almost 3,000 road and bridge projects in Ontario. That is just one example. I remember when, in this House of Commons, the government moved forward on talking with Windsor and engaging with Governor Rick Snyder in the state of Michigan. This was done years ago to make sure the Gordie Howe bridge would be a reality, and they were against it. We have put in $6 billion to make sure it is a reality. It is happening, and this government stands by that decision. The Conservatives have let down the people of Windsor. I thank the member for Windsor—Tecumseh for being there for his constituents.

112 words

Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Pat Kelly (Calgary Rocky Ridge, CPC)

Feb/15/24 6:42:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, back in November, I put a question to the Minister of Innovation regarding the government's decision around its massive subsidy program for battery plants. I asked him about the inconsistencies that the government had offered at that time for the number of taxpayer-funded foreign replacement workers who were going to be employed amid the massive incentives that were being given to a profitable company in Windsor. It was quite alarming. People were really surprised that, despite the massive financial support from the government, this was not even going toward local jobs in Windsor. Rather, it would require a massive number of temporary workers, who would have to come and add to the strain on local housing and health and all the other services that people need municipally. Moreover, the salaries of people who were coming in to take these jobs would be paid from the taxes of local workers in Windsor. The response was wholly unacceptable. The minister just talked about how wonderful it was that they have all these new factories that are being built only with massive support from the government. The question, at the time, was this: Would they release the contracts and actually be clear with Canadians as to the details and what the costs would be? The estimates are that every family in Canada would be paying $1,000 for this subsidy program for construction to be carried out by temporary foreign workers, not local workers, who would be adding to the strains on the local housing market and all the other things that go along with that. This is part of a broader pattern where the current government's industrial policy is to chase out actual real investment, whether foreign or domestic, and the only way they can get anything built in this country is to subsidize. We need look no further than what the Liberals have done in the oil and gas industry. The government's own report from Statistics Canada states that rising living standards will depend on productivity growth. It says, “Labour productivity has declined in 11 of the past 12 quarters and is below prepandemic levels.” Furthermore, “business investment in non-residential structures and machinery and equipment has...pulled back since...the mid-2010s.” The living standard of Canadians is declining. The per capita GDP in Canada is shrinking. People are doing less well, and the response of the current government is simply to try to incentivize countries through subsidy while it is chasing out private capital, as it has done in my province. To top it all off, this week, the environment minister said that there will be no more road construction, when road construction leads to productivity. One wonders whether the batteries from the Stellantis plant subsidized by the government will power flying cars. It is a growing country that needs roads. The Liberals do not want roads or private investment. They simply want to subsidize as their industrial policy.

500 words

Context: House Hansard - 283 - Feb/15/24

Mr. Ryan Turnbull (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Feb/15/24 6:46:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to be here tonight and to answer the hon. member for Calgary Rocky Ridge's questions regarding employment at the NextStar battery plant in Windsor. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the ways in which Canadians will benefit from the partnership with NextStar. NextStar is investing billions of dollars to establish Canada's first large-scale EV battery manufacturing plant in Windsor. This facility will produce leading-edge lithium ion battery cells and modules for Stellantis's vehicle production in North America. Through its investment, NextStar will create a total of 2,300 jobs for Canadians during the construction of the facility and an additional 2,500 permanent jobs for Canadians during the operation of the facility. Beyond the jobs associated with the facility in Windsor, an investment of this size will act as an anchor for further investments across the EV battery supply chain. It will also help secure the new EV mandates at Stellantis's Windsor and Brampton assembly plants. It is correct that during the construction phase of this project, NextStar has indicated they will employ approximately 900 foreign specialists with technical skills needed to install machinery and equipment and to train Canadians. That is in addition to its commitments to create jobs for Canadians. The Liberal government strongly believes that all businesses operating in Canada should prioritize the use of our local workforce. The government will continue to work with NextStar to ensure that it is filling as many jobs as possible through our talented local workforce and that it is minimizing the number of workers employed from outside Canada. However, it is important for the member opposite to remember that this is the first large-scale battery plant in Canada. Most of the machinery and equipment will be imported, as it cannot be sourced domestically. It is normal practice in the manufacturing and automotive sectors that when dealing with imported specialized machinery and equipment, the company supplying the machinery has its own employees complete the installation. This is not only because of proprietary knowledge and warranty issues, but also because it is important to bring new expertise and skills into Canada. Without the use of foreign workers, this investment and others like it would not be possible. The resulting thousands of Canadian jobs would not be created. This is a first of its kind transformational investment that requires expertise that currently resides outside of Canada.

410 words