MASSE TO FEDS ON AUTO: NO TIME TO WASTE

November 23rd, 2016 – 2:43pm

OTTAWA – Federal NDP Critic for Auto Brian Masse M.P. (Windsor West) has demanded Industry Minister Navdeep Bains act on the opportunity of investment in auto.  Since 2000 Canada has continued to lose ground on automotive production and investment, it’s time to reverse the trend.

In a letter to Minister Bains, Masse championed the significance of auto as a crucial stimulus to the economy: “Auto is the largest job creator in the manufacturing sector.  Countries around the world recognize this reality and have implemented policy to attract investment.  Canada is getting crushed in this global competition and as a direct consequence we are losing production capacity and jobs.”

Masse is renewing his call on the government to develop a National Auto Strategy: “Auto is a highly complex industry that is impacted by a broad array of policy fields.  By creating an agency with a clear mandate to develop coherent and comprehensive policy we will have the opportunity to effectively reverse this alarming trend of declining capacity in Canada.”

Recently, UNIFOR concluded its pattern bargaining with Canada’s 3 major domestic auto producers: Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors and Ford:  “It’s frankly astonishing that the workers through the collective bargaining process have done more to secure domestic auto investment than the federal government.” Masse added.

Brian Masse is Vice Chair of the House of Commons Industry, Science and Technology Committee, which is putting the final touches on their study of the Manufacturing sector in Canada.  “We heard a significant amount of testimony outlining the challenges Canada faces in auto and manufacturing broadly.  The value of the auto sector is clear the evidence is irrefutable it is now incumbent upon the government to show leadership, acknowledge their failures and move in a new direction that will create jobs, protect the environment and stimulate economic growth.”