OTTAWA — Federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on the Liberal government to provide immediate tax relief for 1,200 workers recently laid off from the General Motors (GM) Ingersoll plant in Ontario. In a formal letter addressed to Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Poilievre highlighted the dire financial situation of these workers, many of whom are seeing more than half of their severance packages swallowed by government taxes. He argued that at a time when these families are struggling to pay mortgages and buy groceries, the government should reduce the tax withholding on their benefits to ensure they receive more of the money they earned.
The Opposition Leader pointed to a broader crisis within Canada’s automotive industry, noting that vehicle production has dropped by nearly half since 2016. According to Poilievre, the sector’s contribution to the national GDP fell by 10% in November alone. He blamed the current administration for “betraying” Canadian workers by failing to finalize critical trade agreements with the United States and for providing subsidies to American-made electric vehicles, which he claims has put domestic manufacturing at a severe disadvantage.
Poilievre’s demand centers on the need for the federal government to show flexibility during an economic downturn. He emphasized that the workers at the Ingersoll plant—who were part of the transition to electric vehicle manufacturing—should not be penalized by “punitive” tax rates on their final payouts. The letter concludes by urging the Finance Minister to act swiftly to ensure that the displaced workers and their families can maintain their livelihoods while seeking new employment in a shrinking industrial market.
