(Toronto) Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he doesn’t understand what the Canadian government means when he asks the province to “pay its fair share” in a deal with automaker Stellantis .
He maintains that the province and the federal government are both working very hard to ensure that Stellantis does not abandon its plan for an electric vehicle battery plant that it plans to build in Windsor, in conjunction with LG Energy Solution.
Ford, however, said he was “disappointed” with how the feds handled the situation.
Stellantis claims that the Canadian government has five times confirmed in writing that it will match any trade incentive offered by the United States in its Inflation Reduction Act. Saying Ottawa broke that promise, Stellantis paused construction of the plant.
Federal ministers are now arguing that Ontario must “pay its fair share” to make the deal happen.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday that Canada is already investing $120 billion over more than a decade in a green industrial strategy, and to make it fair, provinces that benefit must “pay their fair share.”
Ford says his province has signed its own deal with Stellantis, which includes a $500 million contribution, the same amount Volkswagen was given to build an electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas. He also says that Ontario has not been involved in federal discussions regarding trade incentives.
