Great news ! Volkswagen recently announced that it chose Canada as the site of its very first electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facility outside of Europe. This excellent initiative will create high-quality, clean jobs for our economy.
It is important to note that this choice was not made at random. It is the result of concerted and wide-spread efforts by our government to make Canada a clear leader in the production of batteries and the electrification of vehicles on a global scale.
Among other efforts, minister Champagne visited numerous countries to meet with leaders of the automobile industries and with his foreign counterparts, to build relationships with the main actors of this growing industry.
These efforts have reaped results: since 2021, at least 10 different corporations have announced investments totaling over $15,7 billion dollars to build electric vehicles and their parts right here in Canada. Thanks to this, Canada went from being 5th in the global ranking of battery producers in 2021, to only 2nd in 2022, according to the firm BloombergNEF.
This past March, our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister Champagne also announced investments of $3,6 billion by Stellantis to build an electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility. Those highly strategic investments will cement Canada’s place as a frontrunner in the electric vehicle industry. Canadian critical minerals will be transformed on our own soil and by our own workers, creating significant value for our economy.
Our government has a clear plan as we put forward the necessary measures that will allow our industries to grow and remain competitive in the global green transition. All that, while enriching our society and protecting our future.
