We're running a deficit, so that is why we say there's too much on the line. Canadians right now are struggling with heat costs, struggling to pay their rent and mortgages and struggling to pay for groceries. The first number, based on this $15 billion, is $1,000 per family at home. It's $1,000 from your taxes that's going into a plant. If we want to see this replicated in Quebec, B.C., and other areas across this country.... We can't afford to see what's happening with SDTC right now, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars, or millions of dollars, being wasted and misused. We need to make sure this money is well used, meaning that it's going towards Canadian workers.
The member from Windsor talked about looking at what we've taken this model from, which is the IRA, the Inflation Reduction Act in the U.S. It's subsidizing production of batteries and other things for a green economy. I can tell you right now, and I know for certain, that in the IRA, when it comes to jobs and when it comes to sourcing material for batteries or otherwise, the Americans do one thing that we don't do in Canada: They put America first. They put it on everything in the U.S.
When we look at our investment in Canada, the biggest question that comes to mind is whether Canada is coming first. Is Canada making sure it gets the output? If the only thing we're getting from this deal is jobs, why aren't they all Canadian jobs?
I'll give you an example for the committee, because this was noted today. The federal employment department has already granted permission for a temporary foreign worker to fill an administrative role. This is a job that was put out. The question for the committee is, are you telling me that we couldn't find, in the whole city of Windsor, someone who was qualified to fill an administrative role? This has already been filled by a foreign worker.
Are you saying to the committee right now that we shouldn't be studying this with $15 billion on the line, with 2,500 jobs that were promised, and with reports from the South Korean ambassador that 1,600 of those will be filled not by Windsorites or by Canadians, but by South Koreans?
If the argument that the member from Windsor gave was that every plant brings in workers to install equipment, sure. I'm in a food processing manufacturing cluster in the Bay of Quinte, and all the time... This is a problem of the government too. We bring in foreign workers, and they can't get permits for six months, but they have to come in. They come in for three weeks to install equipment. If we're looking for accommodations for housing, how long are these 1,600 workers going to stay? We don't have an answer to that.
I know that in the House today there's been talk about disinformation. Great; let's get the information on the table. Let's see the contract. One thing we want to see that's in here is the labour market assessment. We want to see where the labour gaps were, because when it comes to labour, when it comes to unions, when it comes to Windsor itself, we want to see manufacturing in Windsor.
If this is going to go forward in the future, we want to see it be successful in Canada. Everyone wants Canada to win. We talk about team Canada, and Canada has to win, but more importantly, if this is going to be replicated with Volkswagen outside of Windsor for other parts of this country, we need this one to be successful. I can tell you right now that if this is not successful, if we don't see the jobs that were promised, if this is a waste of taxpayer dollars, then how can we justify going forward with any of this? It will be a failure to this government. If this committee doesn't study it, it will be a failure. Certainly we want to see this go forward as a success, and we need the answers for that.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.