Chris Lewis MP - Essex

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2026

Windsor, ON – Kathy Borrelli, Conservative Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh—Lakeshore, Harb Gill, Conservative Member of Parliament for Windsor West and Chris Lewis, Conservative Member of Parliament for Essex are jointly releasing the following statement:

“The Liberal record on the automotive sector continues to worsen. Just one day after re-constituting their failed EV policy, Stellantis revealed it would sell its stake in the NextStar battery plant here at home.

“But it should be no surprise. The Carney Liberals have failed to create a low-tax, competitive environment where manufacturers can thrive. Instead, they continue to hand out billions in taxpayer-funded corporate welfare, only to watch jobs and production move south in response to the threat of American tariffs. A problem Mark Carney promised he would have a deal on by July 21, 2025.

“Canadians have made it clear they are not interested in, and are increasingly priced out of, electric vehicles. So far, the Liberals have pledged $32 billion to their idealized EV supply chain, $510 million to the NextStar plant alone. Yet auto manufacturing has plummeted from assembling 2.3 million cars in 2016 to just 1.2 million in 2025. Regardless, Liberals continue to put the pedal to the metal on a failed policy that has driven investment and manufacturers out of Canada.

“Further, Stellantis also announced it will end production of the plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica here in Windsor due to ‘shifting customer demand,’ while simultaneously committing to add 5,000 jobs and increase manufacturing capacity in the United States. It is inexcusable that the Liberals are spending Canadian tax dollars subsidizing American-made vehicles while Canadian workers watch their jobs move south.

“But it doesn’t end there. Industry Minister Melanie Joly finally unveiled the long-awaited Liberal automotive plan. Instead of addressing the real challenges facing the sector, the plan doubles down on the Liberals’ EV obsession and focuses on Ingersoll, Brampton, and Oshawa—conveniently excluding Windsor, the automotive capital of Canada.

“After watching one of Windsor’s largest employers divest from Canada and send jobs south, the decision to exclude Windsor from this plan makes one thing clear: the Liberals do not care about the workers and families of Windsor.

“Rather than ending their corporate welfare, and taxes on Canadian-made vehicles, Mark Carney is doubling down on a strategy that has only succeeded in driving auto manufacturing out of Canada.

“It’s time to end corporate welfare and put Canadian auto workers first. Conservatives will continue to fight for the elimination of the GST on cars made in Canada, as long as tariffs remain in place; a serious measure that would support Canadian workers and industry instead of those in foreign countries.”