During a committee meeting, a Liberal MP expressed concerns about foreign workers, suggesting that such concerns might be xenophobic. Following the meeting, MPs voted to review the contract for a new electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ontario.
Opposition MPs raised questions about the battery plant, which is subsidized by $15 billion in taxpayer funds, in light of reports that it would employ 1,600 South Korean workers. The plant is a joint venture between Stellantis, a European carmaker, and LG Energy Solutions, a South Korean company. Conservative MP Rick Perkins introduced a motion to study the matter during a special House of Commons industry committee meeting.
Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull, parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, suggested that concerns about South Korean workers could be rooted in xenophobia. His statement was interrupted by Mr. Perkins, who dismissed the suggestion as “the last gasp of the desperate.”
The meeting stemmed from information from Windsor Police, indicating that 1,600 South Korean workers would be employed at the battery plant. Nonetheless, MP Turnbull protested that the meeting was based on unverified information.
On the same day, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he was unaware that foreign workers would be involved in the plant’s construction but noted that technology transfer is required. He also mentioned that a free trade deal with South Korea allows its workers to come to Canada with few barriers.
NDP MP Brian Masse called for transparency, emphasizing the importance of building public confidence through openness. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk defended the project and pushed back against criticism, while Conservative MP Brad Vis criticized the federal government for providing billions of dollars in subsidies to companies like Stellantis and Volkswagen for battery plant construction.
At the end of the meeting, a Tory motion to review the Stellantis-LG contract was adopted with several amendments, with support from the Bloc Québécois and Liberals to have the review conducted behind closed doors.