A trio of Canadian auto industry executives have been named to Ontario’s new Council on U.S. Trade and Industry Competitiveness.
Flavio Volpe, CEO, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, David Adams, president, Global Automakers of Canada, and Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association CEO Brian Kingston have all been tapped to advise Ontario Premier Doug Ford on how best “to protect Ontario’s rights under trade agreements.”
Ford announced the creation of the council in December 2021, when he named Unifor National President Jerry Dias, whose union represents hourly workers at the Detroit Three's Canadian operations, as the council chair.
“The creation of this council comes at a critical time for the Ontario economy as certain players in the U.S. bang the drum of protectionism,” Ford said in a statement Monday. “At a time when our government is laying the groundwork to unleash the full potential of our economy, we have worked too hard to create a seamless and integrated auto industry that hugely benefits both our countries to see that destroyed by politics. I am proud to start working with these esteemed new members alongside Jerry Dias as we continue to protect an integrated economy that employs millions of workers on both sides of the border.”
Rounding out the council are:
- Catherine Cobden - President & CEO, Canadian Steel Producers Association;
- George Gilvesy - Director and Chair, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers;
- Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood - CEO, Canadian American Business Council;
- Goldy Hyder - President & CEO, Business Council of Canada;
- Craig McInnes - President, Teamsters Local Union 938 in Ontario and member of the Teamsters Canada Executive Board;
- Veso Sobot – Former Director, Corporate Affairs at IPEX Management Inc., and;
- Michael Willick - President, M. L. Willick & Associates Ltd.
The province said, “there is a pressing need for the work this council will do.”
“The U.S. government is considering protectionist measures that would threaten key industries across Ontario, including auto, lumber, steel, agriculture and more,” it said. “Of particular importance, measures being debated by the U.S. Congress would impact auto agreements that began in 1965 with the Auto Pact, were solidified in 1994 by NAFTA and reaffirmed in 2020 with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
“These agreements have brought prosperity and high-skilled, well-paying jobs to workers and communities across Ontario and North America for more than half a century.”
U.S. President Joe Biden is fighting to pass legislation that would see Americans receive a US$12,500 EV incentive applied only to U.S.-made, union-made electric vehicles.
Volpe and Adams have said the incentive would essentially amount to a 34-per-cent tariff against Canadian-made vehicles.
Ontario Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli helped assemble the council.
“We cannot let new legislation in the United States jeopardize decades of cooperation and put workers on both sides of the border at risk,” Fedeli said. “The new members of the council, with the full support of our government, will continue to advocate for Ontario against unfair Buy American policies by highlighting the cost of protectionism to businesses on both sides of the border and promoting a Buy North American approach to our auto and other sectors.”
Dias warned that U.S. protectionism poses a serious threat to the Canadian economy.
“We cannot underestimate the seriousness of the challenge and it will require a combination of stakeholders from all sectors of the economy to defend against U.S. isolationist measures that will hurt workers.”
