Discussing Automotive with Jerry Dias, UNIFOR President | Apr 22, 2021
Good discussion at the Canada-US Special Committee between UNIFOR National President, Jerry Dias, and me about the automotive sector.
I raised concerns about the current shutdown of the Windsor Assembly plant because FCA can’t get a supply of a computer chip that is only produced overseas. I asked Mr. Dias if it would make more sense to produce those chips here. He agreed and stressed the importance of having the capability to produce all automotive components in the North American region. He said this was similar to Canada being unprepared for the pandemic – “we couldn’t even keep Canadians safe”.
To the broader issue, our discussion turned to the need to have an industrial strategy that increases Canada’s homegrown manufacturing capacity so we aren’t left with plants shut down or our country locked down due to our dependence on overseas suppliers.