Canada's industry minister meets with GM, Ford, Stellantis and Tesla on U.S. tour

Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry sat down with representatives from Ford, General Motors, Stellantis and Tesla in meetings in Detroit and California this week, as the federal government continues to pitch automakers on investing in Canada.

François-Philippe Champagne was at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Sept. 14. He met with each of the Detroit Three automakers while in the Motor City, though few details of the meetings were immediately available.

In a tweet Wednesday, Champagne said the talks revolved around electric vehicles, batteries and “most importantly,” Canadian jobs.

All three automakers have already committed to building electric vehicles in Canada, while GM and Stellantis have made further investments in Canada’s battery supply chain. In partnership with South Korea’s Posco Chemical, GM said in March it would build a $500-million battery materials plant in Bécancour, Que. Stellantis and joint venture partner LG Energy Solution announced plans to spend $5 billion on a battery cell manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ont. the same month.

Champagne, who has been actively courting investments from automakers on trips to Germany and Japan this year, followed up the stop in Detroit with a tour of Tesla’s assembly plant in Fremont, Calif.

Champagne met with “senior management” from the electric vehicle maker during the visit. The discussion focused on EVs and the Canadian automotive ecosystem, he said in a Sept. 16 tweet.

The California sit-down was Champagne’s second meeting with Tesla in the past month. He was at Tesla Toronto Automation in Markham, Ont. Aug. 17 to pitch Canada as an investment destination for the company. At the time, his office would provide few details about that meeting, but said the discussions were at an early stage.