Unifor’s new auto policy, released a day after Unifor elected new National President Lana Payne on August 10.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Unifor is calling for a national auto strategy, and a dedicated federal government ministry to lead it, to capture the significant potential offered by the transition to electric vehicles.
The recommendations are contained in Unifor’s new auto policy, released a day after Canada’s largest private-sector union elected Lana Payne as its new president.
Then union wants plant and production capacity targets as part of the overall auto strategy, while it also calls for more government support through investment incentives and trade policies.
Unifor also says it’s important to build up capacity for battery materials and electric vehicle components, and to provide transition support for auto parts suppliers and workers that could take a hit in the transition to electric vehicles.
The policy recommendations comes as the U.S. moves toward passage of the Inflation Reduction Act that will see billions of dollars devoted to EV subsidies that are expected to boost demand for zero emission vehicles and benefit the highly integrated North American auto market.
Canada already has federal incentives for electric vehicles, but Unifor is calling for increased incentives as well as a trade-in rebate program and increased spending on a charging network to boost demand.