Hello,
The federal and Ontario governments today announced a multibillion-dollar deal in which Honda Motor Co. will expand its Alliston, Ont., plant to manufacture electric vehicles and host a large EV battery plant.
The move will add 1,000 jobs in what the two governments say is the largest single investment in Canadian auto sector history.
The $15-billion investment includes $5-billion in government assistance: up to $2.5-billion from the federal government in tax credits it offers to clean technology and EV supply chain investments, and up to $2.5-billion from Ontario for the cost of construction and for expanding water and other similar services to the site.
Other major investments in new EV plants and battery factories – also with multibillion-dollar government help – have also been announced recently in Windsor, Ont., where auto giant Stellantis and South Korea’s LG Battery Solution are building a massive facility, and in St. Thomas, Ont., where Volkswagen was lured to build a so-called gigafactory battery plant.
Full story here by Queen’s Park reporter Jeff Gray and climate policy columnist and feature writer Adam Radwanski.
- Explainer: How EVs aren’t yet burdening Canada’s electricity grids
- Opinion: “The largest deal in Canadian history. That’s how Premier Doug Ford has described a recently inked agreement between Ontario, Ottawa and auto giant Honda, officially announced Thursday. Under the terms of the agreement, Honda will pump billions into building an electric-vehicle assembly plant. For the automaker, the plant would be the first of its kind in Ontario; for the province, the third after automakers Stellantis and Volkswagen reached similar agreements last year.” – Ashley Nunes
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
‘It’s chaos:’ Cottage owners rush to sell ahead of capital gains tax changes, realtors say: While it is nearly impossible for individuals to list a property and close the sale before the tax changes, those with cottages already on the market are pushing to move up closing dates, said realtor Barb Williams.
Ex-Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi expected to be focus of first Alberta NDP leadership debate: But a political scientist is expecting the exercise tonight to be more civil than civil war as the five candidates meet up in Lethbridge, Alta., to put their best foot forward.
Ontario member asked to leave provincial legislature for wearing keffiyeh: Sarah Jama refused to leave the assembly today after being asked to do so by the house speaker for wearing a keffiyeh garment banned at Queen’s Park. CTV reports.
Mark Carney says federal budget not focused enough on growth: The former Bank of Canada governor, often touted as a potential future Liberal leader, warned in a speech this week of the risks of “constant spending” and too much government subsidies, but also congratulated the Liberals for their investments in housing and artificial intelligence.
Airbus granted reprieve from Canadian sanctions on Russian titanium, sources say: Reports of the decision prompted anger from Ukrainian Canadians and criticism from the Official Opposition. Meanwhile, Bombardier of Montreal was also identified as having obtained a waiver from Canadian sanctions targeting one of the world’s largest producers of the rare metal.
Green deputy leader sentenced to jail for Fairy Creek old growth protests: Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, was given a 60-day sentence for her role in old growth logging protests on Vancouver Island.
Trudeau questions Poilievre’s judgment, says the Conservative Leader ‘will do anything to win’: During a news conference this week, the Prime Minister accused the federal Conservative Leader of exacerbating divisions and welcoming the “support of conspiracy theorists and extremists.”
Premier defends Quebec trade office in Tel Aviv: François Legault says there is responsibility on both sides of the Israel-Hamas conflict for the way it started, but that Quebec is proceeding with its plan because of a focus on trade. The Montreal Gazette reports.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“The whole situation is sad. The information I had at the beginning. First-degree murder. I made my comment. But do you know what I find ironic? You never mentioned Constable Northrup. You never mentioned about his wife, Margaret, taking care of their three kids and going to raise them without a father. That he won’t go to their weddings. He won’t be able to be with Margaret the rest of her life. Isn’t it ironic you haven’t mentioned that? Those are my comments. Thank you.” – Ontario Premier Doug Ford, at a Honda news conference in Alliston today, responding to a reporter’s question about his comments denouncing bail for Umar Zameer, who was recently acquitted of killing Toronto officer Jeffrey Northrup.
“When I leave politics, I will look to teach again in one way, shape or form.” – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a newly posted episode of the Freakonomics Radio podcast entitled A Social Activist in Prime Minister’s Clothing. However, the former B.C. school teacher said that he is “happy and focused” on his current job.
THIS AND THAT
Carrie exit: After seven terms as a Conservative MP, Colin Carrie says he won’t seek another term as Oshawa MP. Carrie said in a statement he was confident that Pierre Poilievre, with whom he was first elected in 2004, will lead the party to power, but that it is time for another Conservative to represent his community.
Commons, Senate: The House of Commons is on a break until April 29. The Senate sits again April 30.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland attended the Honda electric-vehicle announcement in Alliston, Ont. Later, in Toronto, Freeland participated in a fireside conversation with Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times.
Commons Speaker on the road: Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is in Algiers, the seat of government in the North African nation of Algeria, as part of a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians comprised of Viviane Lapointe and Peter Julian. They will be meeting with their parliamentary counterparts and other Algerian dignitaries over the course of the next two days. They return home on Saturday.
Ministers on the road: The theme of the day for travelling cabinet ministers was largely the electric-vehicle supply chain, echoing Thursday’s announcement by Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Ministers talking about the issue are Crown-Indigenous Minister Gary Anandasangaree in Dartmouth, N.S., Health Minister Mark Holland in Oshawa, Ont., and International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen in the northern Ontario riding of Nickel Belt. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Saskatoon. Also, Immigration Minister Marc Miller, Diversity Minister Kamal Khera, Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez and Sport Minister Carla Qualtrough are in Delta, B.C.
Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada is in Whitehorse, attending the spring conference of the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon. Northern Development Minister Dan Vandal and Defence Minister Bill Blair are in Yellowknife talking about budget investments in postsecondary education for Indigenous students.
And, International Trade Minister Mary Ng concludes a trade trip to South Korea today.
Political podcasts: Sean Fraser and Fred DeLorey were rivals for the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova in the 2015 election. Nine years later, Fraser is federal housing minister. And DeLorey is host of the On Background podcast after running the Conservatives’ 2021 election campaign. In the latest episode, Fraser and DeLorey recall their electoral clash, and talk about present-day politics.
Dong off committee of Canada-China Legislative Association: Former Liberal MP Han Dong is no longer on the executive committee of the association, which provides a forum for Chinese and Canadian parliamentarians to discuss bilateral and multilateral challenges. The Toronto-area MP first elected in 2019 resigned from the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent last year over questions raised by interactions with a Chinese diplomat. When the group elected a new executive on April 23, Dong, previously co chair, was the only member not re-elected, according to the organization. Majid Jowhari is the new co chair. Prior to the vote, five association members, including Dong, travelled to China from March 24 to 29 for meetings with the National People’s Congress of China.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, along with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, made the electric-vehicle investment announcement in Alliston, Ont.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet visited the Quebec city of Trois-Rivières, with stops at the city’s innovation and economic development office, and a news conference.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is in Ottawa to attend the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee conference on plastics pollution.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Montreal, held a news conference and joined picketing workers of the Société des alcools du Québec, the provincial Crown corporation that sells alcohol.
No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s podcast, Globe reporter Willow Fiddler explains problems with the Thunder Bay Police Service. This week, First Nations leaders called for the service to be disbanded after charges were laid against high-ranking members of the service and board, and after reports accusing the police service of racism, discrimination and misconduct, specifically in the cases involving Indigenous people. The Decibel is here.
TRIBUTE
John Fraser: The former Commons speaker, who died in Vancouver this month, is remembered in an obituary.
OPINION
About that foreign-agents registry thing...
“Look, we get it: Being in government can bury you under a crush of urgent and competing priorities, especially when you keep falling further behind in the polls and have a tax-raising budget to sell to skeptical Canadians who are happy to blame you for a laundry list of ills. But there is nothing that excuses the Trudeau government’s failure to create a foreign-agents registry as part of a needed bulwark against meddling by China and other countries in the democratic life of this country.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board
What might a serious growth agenda look like? More labour, more capital, and more incentive to use both wisely
“The good news about the recent budget is that it at least talks about per capita GDP, however briefly. The appalling performance of Canada’s economy on this crucial measure has been the subject of growing alarm outside of government. Yet it was not considered worth so much as a mention in the fall economic statement.” – Andrew Coyne
Ottawa’s noble plan to fast-track francophone immigrants seems doomed to fail
“More than half a century of official bilingualism has not made Canada a safe space for francophones. In 1971, slightly more than 6 per cent of Canadians outside Quebec counted French as their first language. By 2021, their share had dropped to 3.5 per cent, as successive generations of francophones in the rest of Canada abandoned their parents’ mother tongue for English. French-speaking communities in Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have seen their populations age and shrink at an astonishing rate.” – Konrad Yakabuski
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Ian Bailey