Ontario Premier Doug Ford isn’t mincing words about Canada’s new electric vehicle deal with China, saying Friday that Chinese manufacturers are gaining a foothold in the country’s auto market at the expense of workers in this country.
“The federal government is inviting a flood of cheap made-in-China electric vehicles without any real guarantee of equal or immediate investments in Canada’s economy, auto sector or supply chain,” Ford said in a statement issued shortly after news of the deal broke.
“Worse, by lowering tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles this lopsided deal risks closing the door on Canadian automakers to the American market, our largest export destination, which would hurt our economy and lead to job losses.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, in a move that marks a major shift in the relationship between the two countries.
As part of the deal, Carney says he expects China to lower tariffs on Canadian canola to 15 per cent by March. China will also no longer slap tariffs on Canadian canola meal, lobsters, crab and peas from March until at least the end of 2026.
In return, Canada will allow 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the market at a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has reached a deal with China to allow tens of thousands of Chinese electric vehicles into the country at a lower tariff rate in exchange for lower duties on canola, lobsters, crabs and peas.
The federal government noted the 49,000 vehicles subject to a lower tariff represents less than three per cent of the Canadian market for new auto sales. It said it’s the same volume of EVs that came in from China in 2023-2024 before Canada hiked tariffs along with the United States in an effort to protect domestic industries.
While the deal comes with tariff relief on agricultural products, there’s no promise to invest in Canadian auto manufacturing. The government says that “it is expected” that within three years, the agreement will drive new Chinese joint-venture investment in Canada.
According to provincial figures, over 90,000 workers are employed in Ontario’s auto sector, with over 1.3 million vehicles built in 2024.
Feds should focus on Ontario auto sector, Ford says
Ford said that in order to fix what he’s calling a “mess,” Carney and the federal government will need to “urgently” support the province’s auto sector.
The premier went on to call on Carney to scrap the electric vehicle mandate, harmonize regulations with trading partners, and drop federal fees that, he alleges, add to the cost of making vehicles and “chase away investments.”
“Instead of importing made-in-China vehicles, the federal government needs to be focused on working with Ontario to bring investment and jobs to factory floors in Brampton, Oshawa, Ingersoll and across the province, where assembly lines are at risk or have already left the country,” Ford said.
“I’m urging Prime Minister Carney to work with Ontario to strengthen Canada’s auto industry, not weaken it.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he did not hear from Prime Minister Mark Carney about the electric vehicle arrangement with China before it was announced, adding ‘this was not thought out properly.’
Speaking with reporters at an unrelated event in Toronto Friday, Ford said he had no consultation with Carney before the deal was made and alleged that the prime minister hadn’t consulted with auto makers.
Ford also said he didn’t think news of the deal would go over well when it comes to negotiating with U.S. President Donald Trump.
“This was not thought out properly, it wasn’t consulted, it was a knee-jerk reaction, and this is going to be a big, big problem,” Ford said.
A fight to maintain jobs
Peter Frise, a professor of mechanical and automotive engineering at the University of Windsor, concurred that 49,000 vehicles represents about three per cent of the Canadian market, adding that’s the number of cars that Stellantis’s Windsor Assembly Plant would produce in 30 to 35 days.
He also said the average purchase price of a vehicle in Canada right now is in the $40,000 range.
This deal covers vehicles priced at $33,000 or less, and other cars sold at that price are already manufactured offshore.
“This doesn’t compete head to head with any Canadian production, especially in the EV end of the market,” Frise told CBC Windsor.
- Cross Country Checkup is asking: Why does Canada’s new EV deal with China matter to you? Leave your question here and we may read it or call you back for Sunday’s show.
Jeff Gray, head of the union local that represents auto workers at the General Motors plant in Oshawa, Ont., said as details of the deal are fresh, he is still digesting the news.
The Unifor Local 222 president then went on to say that it does seem seem like the auto sector has been “compromised by our federal government.”
“By allowing these Chinese EVs into our country that are heavily subsidized by a communist government, it doesn’t make us feel very good,” Gray said in an interview with Radio-Canada.
“It’s absolutely going to have an impact on the auto sector here in Ontario, and we need to continue to fight to maintain these good-paying jobs.”
NDP accuse premier of doing nothing, then complaining
Ontario opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles, meanwhile, slammed both Ford and Carney in a statement Friday morning, calling the news a “crushing blow” to the province’s auto sector.
“It’s the same Doug Ford playbook; do nothing, then complain to grab headlines,” Stiles said. “Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe flew to China with the Prime Minister to advocate for his province’s canola farmers.
“Meanwhile, Ford was sitting at home, leaving Ontario workers with no one to fight for them. If you’re not at the table, you’re not fit for Premier.”
Ontario Liberal critic for finance and trade, Stephanie Bowman, similarly called Ford an “armchair quarterback” who is avoiding responsibility for things that are within his control, in a statement issued Friday.
“When it comes to trade and tariffs, Doug Ford’s entire contribution has been running a reckless ad campaign that blew up negotiations south of the border, theatrically pouring out a bottle of Crown Royal, and making empty threats,” Bowman said.
“None of that protects a single job. If Chinese electric vehicles are going to enter the Canadian market, then we must also work with Chinese EV companies to create good, strong, safe jobs for Ontario workers, which this deal opens the door to.”
www.cbc.ca (Article Sourced Website)
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