SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 270 - Jan/29/24

Jan/29/24 1:51:48 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-59

Madam Speaker, that important question highlights the important role that government decision-making plays in honouring the idea that workers deserve respect and they deserve fair wages. That is why it is important to have good labour laws. That is why I am proud that we are pushing for anti-scab legislation and that the bill is beginning to progress through the legislative process. There are other things we can do to reinforce collective bargaining rights and we do not do that when we allow this kind of double breasting to go on, which undermines workers.

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Context: House Hansard - 270 - Jan/29/24

Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity, Lib.)

Jan/29/24 8:25:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is nice to be in the House this evening. I first would like to point out that it is great to see Conservatives stand up in the House, every once in a while, for workers' rights. It is rare, but on occasion it happens and it is wonderful. Over the last 30 years, Conservatives have been a bit of a thorn in the side of the labour movement in Canada, so to see Conservatives stand in the House and hear them advocate for labour rights in this country is movement in the right direction, we will call it. I am very proud to be part of a government and a party that are the first to table legislation in this country to ban replacement workers, so when the member opposite suggests that we are doing something to the contrary, I would just point out that is not accurate whatsoever. I am very happy to respond to comments made by the member tonight, which were also made by the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, regarding the government's contracts with NextStar Energy to indeed expand our country's EV battery production capacity. I am a proud driver of an electric car and have been for almost two years. It is a fantastic vehicle, and I know that a more local production of that technology and innovations is going to spur on more electric vehicle use in our country and will lower our emissions, which is fantastic. It is exactly what we need in order to fight climate change. Canada has taken the critical first steps to develop our EV battery supply chain, and that will stand to bring opportunities for other Canadian industries such as mining, EV assembly and car production. We must remember that the sector remains in its infancy here in Canada and around the world, and it is indeed a commonly used practice for firms to bring in experts when new equipment is to be purchased and installed, as is the case with NextStar. Given the size and complexity of the plant, as well as the fact that it is Canada's first plant of its kind, most of the specialized equipment is coming from overseas and must be installed by the suppliers. With respect to experts, we have heard the leader of the Conservative Party and his disdain for expertise. He thinks it is crazy that there are people who are specialized; he thinks it should be done by just any old person, but that is not possible. We need to hire experts in order to do this, and this must happen before Canadians who are hired to run the equipment can be trained to use the equipment. I cannot emphasize that enough. All foreign specialists coming to Canada are coming for short-term, temporary assignments in order to install specialized equipment. No Canadian jobs are being displaced. Not only is this standard practice, but it can also be seen to continue to promote Canada as a destination of choice. Restricting foreign workers would limit Canada's ability to attract strategic foreign investment, which is something that is at an all-time high in this country thanks to the fact that the government and our party invest in workers and Canadian innovation. Let us not forget that NextStar is committed to hiring 2,300 Canadians during the construction and equipment installation phases of the project, with another 2,500 permanent jobs for Canadians once the facility is operational. This is a great-news story, but the Conservatives want to turn the dial down and say it is not so great and they could have done better, when, in fact, they would never have invested in this industry in the first place. Batteries represent a significant percentage of the value of an EV, and these plants will be the foundation of Canada's automotive industry moving forward. Failing to compete with other jurisdictions would not only risk the jobs associated with this facility but would also challenge Canada's ability to attract vehicle mandates as auto makers switch over the EV assembly. Ultimately, that would risk the success of our automotive industry in this country. For NextStar's battery manufacturing facility that will supply EV batteries to vehicles produced by Stellantis in Windsor, this is a good-news story. Battery investments are closely tied to current and future EV assembly investments and jobs, and electrification is the future of the automotive sector. Therefore, for the Conservatives to stand in the House and suggest that we are doing less for jobs and less for workers is absolutely the opposite of the truth. It is a good-news story for Windsor and a good-news story for St. Thomas, and it is a great-news story for the EV sector in Canada.

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Context: House Hansard - 270 - Jan/29/24

Mr. Adam van Koeverden

Jan/29/24 8:30:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian workers and the labour movement in Canada know they cannot trust Conservatives. They know that Conservatives have never had their backs and they are proud of this government, with our NDP colleagues, for producing Canada's first-ever replacement worker ban. We are banning scabs. It is going to be impossible to replace, which is so important for the labour movement's ability to organize collectively and bargain collectively. These investments with NextStar are no different. They will have long-lasting, widespread and positive economic impacts, and they will help to ensure the high-value manufacturing activities, namely battery production in southwestern Ontario, will continue to occur in Canada. These are investments that workers in the labour movement in Canada know would be impossible with a Conservative Party at the helm and that is why they are so grateful for these innovations and investments.

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