THUNDER BAY – Kenora–Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford has responded after the Ontario NDP attacked the Ford government for weakening Canadian content rules on a major Toronto subway car order.
In an interview Friday, Rickford pushed back forcefully on the NDP’s argument his government was abandoning Canadian workers like those at Thunder Bay’s Alstom plant by lowering that threshold.
The NDP on Thursday released a leaked RFP for the production of cars for an $11 billion new Toronto subway expansion known as the Ontario Line.
The document revealed the government will require just 10 per cent of the value of subway cars for the line to be contracted for in Canada, rather than the 25 per cent minimum set out in a provincial policy passed in 2008.
Horwath called on the Ford government to immediately withdraw the RFP and restore the 25 per cent figure.
However, the province has said the reduction was necessary because of the level of automation involved in the new line – a requirement the government said Canadian manufacturers simply can’t meet.
Rickford, who also serves as minister of northern development, mines, natural resources and forestry and of Indigenous affairs, downplayed the move.
“Nothing has really changed here,” he said. “The specific requirement on the manufacturing of cars simply reflects some of the technical elements.”
He also touted the fact the government has committed to a 75 per cent made-in-Canada threshold for the entire project, saying Alstom would play an “important part” of meeting that target.
The 75 per cent figure is inclusive of all project costs, including labour and construction materials, said an NDP representative.
“Andrea Horwath wants just 25 per cent of Ontario’s multi-billion-dollar transit project to require Canadian content,” Rickford said. “Instead, our government is moving forward with 75 per cent Canadian content.”
It’s a claim that flies in the face of the Ontario NDP’s record over more than a decade under Horwath’s leadership, during which the party has consistently advocated to expand so-called Buy Ontario policies for transit.
Thunder Bay–Atikokan MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell called Rickford’s comments misleading.
“It is a typical response from this government, to misrepresent us in the media whenever they have a chance, so it doesn’t surprise me,” she said.
“We’ve always fought for more Canadian jobs. We aren’t afraid to say that we want Canadian content and Ontario content in every project that taxpayers’ money is being spent on. It makes no sense to give away good jobs and that kind of money into our economy.”
A Ministry of Transportation spokesperson said there were bona fide technological reasons to source the cars for the Ontario line elsewhere, but said other major subway expansions planned by the government would continue to require 25 per cent Canadian content for cars.
Similar automated subway lines in Vancouver and Montreal have also had to source cars internationally, they added.
“In the case of one line out of the five priority lines in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, this one has a compelling technological need, and we know we can’t source that in Canada. That doesn’t mean we’ve dropped the 25 per cent content [requirement].”
Earlier this week, Alstom announced more than 300 temporary layoffs at the local plant set to begin next month due to a contract for bi-level cars for a U.S. customer winding down and work on new contracts not ready to begin.
Rickford pointed to hundreds of millions of orders placed for TTC streetcars and GO cars at the Thunder Bay plant under the Ford government.
“We’ve made significant investments in the Alstom plant, we care deeply for those workers,” he said. “I know there’s some tough times right now, but over the past couple of years we’ve worked closely with Alstom and their workers.”
Monteith-Farrell said she’s still hopeful the government will change its mind on the issue.
“Anything’s possible. We’re looking at a short timeline before an election… Perhaps now that the government’s been exposed, they’ll rethink this and go back to the 25 per cent.”
