Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attacked federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre on Monday, accusing the party of not supporting investment in the electric vehicle sector.
Prime Minister Trudeau attended a funding announcement at Goodyear’s tire plant in Napanee, Ontario, where Goodyear Canada announced it will invest $575 million to expand and modernize the plant with the goal of reaching net zero emissions within 20 years. The federal government will contribute $44.3 million, and the Ontario government will provide an additional $20 million.
Prime Minister Trudeau said the plant’s capacity expansion will include making tires specifically for electric vehicles.
During a question-and-answer session after the event, Trudeau was asked to respond to Poirierbre’s call on Friday for Canada to impose tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles and related parts.
Trudeau did not address the issue of tariffs on China, instead criticizing Poirievre for not supporting the kind of investment his government announced in Napanee.
“It’s a bit of a joke that Mr. Poirierbre suddenly talking about auto workers. He has repeatedly said he will not make these investments in the auto industry. He will cut investments in EVs,” Trudeau told reporters.
“We were there every step of the way, and the federal Conservatives continue to say cut everything. They don’t support that. They don’t believe in investing in Canadian workers. So now he suddenly changes his tune and says, ‘Oh, we’re worried about EVs’? That’s bullshit.”
A spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday that a decision on tariffs would be made “soon,” after Finance Minister Poirievre called for tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “foolish” for Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre to call for U.S.-level tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, steel and aluminum because he doesn’t support government investment in Canada’s EV supply chain. “He’s trying to get a political angle, because that’s what he does,” Trudeau added.
Poirievre has expressed skepticism about government investment in foreign companies in the auto sector, particularly in a Volkswagen battery factory that the Parliamentary Budget Office estimated at $16.3 billion, but has remained silent on whether he would maintain investment in the EV sector.
Poirievre Asked in May It asks whether to eliminate tax credits for EV manufacturing.[s] “With so many of Justin Trudeau’s promises, we are judging him by what happens, not by what he says.”
CBC News reached out to Poirievre’s office on Monday for comment on Trudeau’s comments and asked whether the Conservative leader would continue to make investments like the one in Goodyear.
“Prime Minister Trudeau is smiling and happy to tell Canadians that they’ve never had it so good, but after nine years of destructive policies that have driven down wages and driven investment and jobs overseas, Canadian workers have no reason to be grateful to him,” said Conservative labour critic Kyle Seebach.
“[Trudeau] Despite spending billions of taxpayer dollars on foreign replacement labor, he has drained $460 billion of investment from our country. [United States]And they have failed to stand up to the Beijing regime to prevent cheap EVs, steel, aluminum and other products from flooding the market.”
Poirievre’s office declined to say whether a Conservative government would cut government investment in the EV sector.
Monday’s press conference was the first time Trudeau has taken questions from reporters this month since the NATO summit, and he ended by touting the deals his government has made with the EV industry over the past year or so, including with Honda, Stellantis and Northvolt.
