Tories Accuse Feds of Failing to Secure Jobs for Canadians in Govt.-Funded EV Battery Plant Deals

Tory MP Rick Perkins told a Commons committee that he has viewed one such contract and it does not include a clause that protects Canadian jobs.

Conservative MP Rick Perkins rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 22, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

A Conservative MP is accusing the federal government of failing to include job guarantees for Canadians in its subsidy contracts with foreign electric vehicle battery manufacturers.

Tory MP Rick Perkins told the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) on Dec. 14 that he has read a confidential Volkswagen contract and “what’s not in it is a clause that protects Canadian jobs.”