MPP McNaughton Questions Premier on Future of Ontario’s Automotive Industry
QUEEN’S PARK– This morning, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton questioned Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne regarding the conflicting aspirations of her Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, Hon. Brad Duguid, and her Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Glen Murray.
“Just last year the Premier appointed Ray Tanguay – the auto czar – to help bring new auto investment to Ontario but in just one day, the Environment Minister has reversed much of that hard work and initiative with yet another uninformed comment,” said McNaughton.
Recently The Globe and Mail reported that in his speech to the Economic Club last week, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change “took particular aim at the province’s auto industry, which he said is ‘missing courageous leadership,’ to build more electric vehicles. If these companies do not shape up, he said, Tesla and BMW ‘are going to start eating their lunch.’”
“We’ve already lost General Motors in Windsor, the Ford plant near St. Thomas, and the GM plant in Oshawa could easily be the next one to go,” stated McNaughton. “If the GM plant leaves, it alone will cost Ontario $5.7 billion in GDP and over 33,000 good paying jobs.”
On Monday, McNaughton wrote to Ray Tanguay who is chairing the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council’s sub-committee to attract automotive investment to Ontario. McNaughton asked Tanguay about the draft Climate Change Action Plan obtained by The Globe and Mail which indicates the government of Ontario intends to set dramatic targets for “a zero emission or hybrid electric vehicle in every multicar household driveway within eight years.”
“At the same time the Minister of the Environment is threatening the 50,000 jobs in the nuclear industry, he also took aim at the nearly one in six Ontario jobs that benefit from the auto industry,” said McNaughton. “Who does the Premier think should produce the government’s policies on the auto sector – the expert with over 30 years’ experience or Glen Murray, the former Mayor of Winnipeg?”