Opinion
Retaining Ford and FCA assembly plants will bring some stability to Canada’s auto industry when it’s badly needed
By David Crane October 26, 2020
But it is foolish to make the leap from this to pronounce Canada a world leader in the electric vehicle industry.
Industry Minister Navdeep Bains cited the announcements as 'one story in a chapter in a book called the new, smart industrial policy.' But it looked more like just another chapter in a book called the old, industrial strategy because the federal and Ontario governments may end up providing some $1-billion in subsidies to retain the two assembly plants, at a level of subsidy well above past supports for the industry, writes David Crane. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
TORONTO—There was an understandable—and huge—sigh of relief when both Ford Motor Co. and FCA announced they would convert their Ontario assembly plants to electric vehicle production. Following the shutdown of General Motors’ massive assembly complex in Oshawa last year, there were real fears that the GM closure would be followed by similar closures by Ford in Oakville and FCA in Windsor.
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