Trudeau calls Poilievre’s stance on Chinese EV tariffs ‘baloney’

Prime Minster Justin Trudeau took aim at federal Conservatives on Monday, accusing leader Pierre Poilievre of not supporting investments in the electric vehicle sector.

Trudeau was attending a funding announcement at Goodyear’s tire plant in Napanee, Ont. Goodyear Canada announced it is investing $575 million to expand and modernize the plant with the goal of making it net-zero in less than two decades. The federal government is contributing $44.3 million, while Ontario’s government is kicking in another $20 million.

Trudeau said the plant’s increased capacity will include tires made specifically for electric vehicles.

While taking questions following the event, Trudeau was asked to respond to Poilievre’s calls on Friday for Canada to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and associated parts.

Trudeau didn’t address the question of tariffs on China. Instead, he accused Poilievre of not supporting investments like the one his government announced in Napanee.

“It’s a bit of a joke that Poilievre is suddenly talking about workers in the auto industry. He has said repeatedly that he wouldn’t be making these investments in our auto industry. He’d be cutting our investments in EVs,” Trudeau told reporters.

“We have been there every step of the way, and the federal Conservatives continue to say they’d cut it all. They don’t support it. They don’t believe in investing in Canadian workers. So for him to suddenly turn around and say, ‘Oh we’re worried about EVs’? That’s baloney.”

A spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday — following Poilievre’s call for tariffs on Chinese EVs — that a decision on tariffs would be made “soon.”

While Poilievre has expressed skepticism about the government’s investments in the auto sector for foreign companies — notably the government’s investment in the Volkswagen battery plant, which the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated at $16.3 billion — the Conservative leader has been silent on whether he’d maintain those EV sector investments.

Poilievre was asked in May whether he’d cancel tax credits for EV manufacturing. He said the party “look[s] at Justin Trudeau’s many promises and we judge them not on what he says but what actually happens.”

On Monday, CBC News asked Poilievre’s office for comment on Trudeau’s remarks and to state whether the Conservative leader would maintain investments like the one made to Goodyear.

“While Trudeau is happy to put on a smile and tell Canadians they never had it so good, Canadian workers have no reason to thank Trudeau after nine years of his destructive policies that are weakening paycheques and sending investments and jobs out of the country,” Conservative labour critic Kyle Seeback said.

“[Trudeau] gave billions of taxpayer dollars to bring in foreign replacement workers, he has driven $460 billion in investment out of our country to the [United States], and he has failed to stand up to the regime in Beijing to defend our industries against flooding our market with cheap EVs, steel, aluminum and other products.”

Poilievre’s office did not address whether a Conservative government would cut government investments in the EV sector.

Monday’s news conference marked the first time Trudeau has taken questions from reporters in the month since the NATO summit. He wrapped by touting the government’s deals with the EV sector over the past year or so, notably with Honda, Stellantis and Northvolt.