Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams is putting in a motion at parliament Wednesday asking why the federal government has not placed tariffs on electric vehicles coming from China.
In a press release sent out by his office, Williams says the Chinese electric vehicles would threaten the livelihood of the North American auto sector and could impact jobs locally in Belleville at automotive parts manufacturers Magna International and Hanon Systems.
“We have an integrated North American automotive industry that employs 500,000 people in Canada including car dealers and auto part manufacturers and service. It is an $18 billion industry here in Canada,” Williams says in the release.
“In my role as Shadow Minister for Pan Canadian Trade and Competition I have seen full well that this industry is under threat from China EVs who have unfair trade practices. They are heavily subsidized and have questionable labour standards in vehicles that collect and store data. We are not entirely sure how safe your data is in those vehicles.”
Williams went on to say that he believes this would also be about protecting the steel and aluminum industry.
“This put jobs in Belleville and Bay of Quinte under threat, and I will work hard to ensure our auto and manufacturing industries in Canada and the Bay of Quinte Region are protected from unfair Chinese trade practices,” Williams said.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has announced a plan matching American tariffs on Chinese-produced electric vehicles and EV components.
The plan includes a 100% tariff on made-in-China EVs entering Canada, introducing a 50% tariff on semiconductors and solar cells, introducing a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum products, graphite, other critical minerals, EV batteries, battery parts, permanent magnets and ship-to-shore cranes and ensures there are no more rebates for made-in-China EVs.
