The province of Ontario has confirmed that foreign workers will play a role in setting up the four proposed Honda electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plants in the region. Ontario Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli mentioned that “short-term technical experts” will be brought in to install equipment at the plants and train local Ontarians. Despite the insistence that the plants hire Ontario workers, concerns have been raised by the federal Conservatives regarding the use of taxpayer funds to hire foreign employees.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $2.5 billion investment in the Honda deal through various tax credits, with a matching investment from the government of Ontario. The project includes the construction of a battery plant next to an existing assembly plant in Alliston, Ontario, with plans to produce fully electric vehicles as part of a $15 billion initiative.
The issue of foreign workers in Canadian auto plants supported by taxpayer money has been a recurring concern, particularly highlighted by the NextStar Energy electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ontario. The federal Conservatives and Canada’s Building Trades Unions have expressed reservations about the potential use of foreign workers in the Honda project as well.
Calls have been made for greater transparency and guarantees for Canadian jobs in these projects, with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh emphasizing the need for assurances for unionized workers. Concerns have also been raised by Unifor National President Lana Payne about the impact of transitions in the auto sector on workers’ job security and income stability.
Honda has committed to investing $15 billion in the project, aiming to produce electric vehicles entirely in Canada starting in 2028. The company plans to produce up to 240,000 vehicles annually once the assembly plant is fully operational.
The locations for the two battery parts facilities will be revealed at a later date.
The Canadian Press and Chris Tomlinson contributed to this report.
