Temporary foreign workers plan a non-starter at EV plant

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This article was published 29/11/2023 (1023 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE devil is in the details.

It may be a cliché, but those managing $15 billion in federal and provincial subsidies for the EV battery plant in Windsor, Ont., forgot about this old — yet compelling — sliver of common sense.

As a result, one of the largest investments to date in Canada’s auto sector is mired in needless confusion and anxiety that hundreds of Canadian taxpayer-subsidized jobs could wind up going to foreign workers.

It all seemed straightforward last May, when the federal and the Ontario provincial governments announced topped-up subsidies for a joint venture by automaker Stellantis and South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution, in return for 2,500 full-time permanent jobs in the Windsor area — plus the engagement of at least 1,600 Canadian workers for construction and installation jobs before the plant opens next year.

Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) are now learning that important details were left out of the announcement, including the fact that the International Mobility Program was used.

The International Mobility Program allows foreign workers to come into Canada without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) if the worker is part of an intra-company transfer, enters Canada with an open work permit, or enters Canada through a free trade agreement such as the Canada-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

In contrast to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, eligible workers that would allow LMIA-exempt work permits within a free trade agreement are not publicly readily available. There is also no need for employers to post job ads to ensure that there are no Canadian workers available to perform the work.

NextStar Energy, the corporate operating arm of the Stellantis-LG Energy partnership, has confirmed they are bringing approximately 900 South Korean “temporary specialized global supplier staff” equipment manufacturers from outside suppliers to assemble, install, and test equipment needed to produce the batteries.

Canada’s Building Trades Unions and its affiliates have requested a meeting with Stellantis’ executive team to discuss the labour requirements of the project and in hopes of coming to a resolution.

Naturally, CBTU has grave concerns of temporary foreign workers doing construction when there are hundreds of job-ready, highly skilled Canadian workers in the Windsor area, waiting for news of whether they will have work or not.

Canada’s Building Trades are calling on NextStar Energy and the Canadian government to prioritize Canadian workers and make sure all parties are involved from now on.

Going forward, the government must make the International Mobility Program more transparent and outline what occupations may be impacted by free trade agreements.

There is still time to ensure this development will be remembered as just a speed bump on the road to a net-zero economy, and adjust the project to include the right details and ensure Canada’s workers are rightfully leading this transition.

Sean Strickland is the executive director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, which represents 600,000 skilled tradespeople across the country.