Hello everyone.
It is great to be here with so many good friends, particularly with Minister François-Philippe
Champagne and Irek Kusmierczyk, our amazing… and members of our Liberal team that have
worked incredibly hard for this announcement.
It’s great to be here with you, Minister Fedeli, it’s always a good day to be able
to work together for Ontarians and people right across the country.
And for everyone here at Stellantis, Lori, Mark, thank you for your vision, for your
leadership.
To our friends at Unifor, thank you so much for everything you guys have done, fighting
for Canadians, fighting for good middle-class jobs.
The partnerships we’ve been able to build with labour over the past six years have led,
in a large part, to the kind of success that we’ve been able to see over the past years
in creating good jobs, sustainable for the future.
And thank you to the municipal leadership as well; thank you for being there as partners,
fighting for your communities and building a better future.
But mostly, thank you to all the workers, both behind me and behind us here, your excellence,
your commitment to building a strong future, not just for yourselves, for your kids, but
for your communities and your country, is the greatest asset that Canada has.
And we talked a lot about all the great things that Canada has to offer as we pitch international
investors to come set up shop, set up factories, set up production facilities in Canada, and
yes, it’s great that we have access to national resources and critical minerals, which is
a big part of it, but the number one selling job is always Canadians themselves: hardworking,
willing to build a better future, willing to put innovation and creativity into everything
they do.
It is so exciting to be able to thank you so much for the work you’ve done over the
past months, years and indeed, decades and generations when we talk about Windsor in
demonstrating the outstanding (inaudible).
(Applause) And I will say, as Prime Minister I get to
work with Canadians from coast to coast to coast, talk about the great work people are
doing all across the country, but I would be hard-pressed to point out a community where
hard work hasn’t been as much of driver of success as here in Windsor.
The hard work that Windsorites have put into building their community, building their future…
(Applause) … has defined you, and today and over the
past while, it’s really been recognized and is significantly paying off.
We’ve reached a deal with Stellantis to make this Windsor plant, and the one in Brampton,
global leaders on building electric vehicles.
Investing in this multibillion-dollar project is because it’ll deliver.
It’ll deliver for workers, it’ll deliver for communities, it’ll deliver for our economy,
and it’ll deliver for the environment.
Not only are we growing a world-leading auto industry, creating hundreds of jobs and securing
thousands more, we’re keeping our air clean by building and driving more EVs here at home.
Today’s agreement is good news and builds on several other recent announcements.
In the last two months, we’ve reached historic agreements for workers and the auto sector,
and those agreements are delivering results.
We now have... we are maintaining and creating over 16,000 jobs here in Ontario and in Quebec.
That’s 16,000 jobs maintained and created across Ontario and Quebec, that’s how many
positions we’ve secured with auto manufacturing deals in just the last two months.
That’s how many workers will be able to count on a good job making hybrids, electric
vehicles, and electric vehicle batteries.
That’s the path of the future for good jobs and clean air.
(Applause) These agreements represent a commitment of
approximately $13 billion from governments and industry.
It just goes to show how much investor confidence there is in the Canadian economy.
When we attract investments to Canada, like we’ve done this spring with Stellantis but
also with GM, Honda, and more, when we make it more affordable to buy electric vehicles,
as we’re doing with a federal rebate of up to $5,000 – and I was just in BC talking
with people how much provincial rebates can make a difference as well, so we need to recognize
that – when we tap into Canada’s critical mineral resources that go into batteries and
more, we invest in clean air, we invest in a strong economy, and we invest not just in
strong middle-class jobs; but strong middle-class careers for communities for generations to
come.
Now, surprisingly there are still some politicians that say that you have to choose between the
environment and the economy, but to them I say look what we’re building here in Windsor,
in Brampton, and right across the country.
Folks here get it, and that’s why we’re so happy to be moving forward with this announcement.
We’re growing a strong middle class in Canada so workers, their families, and everyone can
succeed.
Canadians are building a better future, and we’re here to build it with them.
And making a big announcement like this, I can’t imagine of a better place than Windsor
to make this announcement where generations of hardworking Canadians have demonstrated
what we are all capable of.
Thank you, Windsor, for representing us so strongly in the auto industry on the world
stage but thank you to everyone who made this happen.