Mr. Speaker, Ford of Canada, headquartered in my community, has a long history in Oakville and operates at the leading edge of innovation and excellence.
Last month, I joined the Prime Minister, Ford president and CEO Dean Stoneley, Unifor president Jerry Dias, the premier and MPs and MPPs to announce $600 million in joint federal and provincial funding to help Ford's Oakville facility upgrade its assembly plant to mass-produce zero-emission electric vehicles and the batteries that power them.
The partnership between both governments and Ford will save more than 3,000 jobs at Ford and create new, high-paying jobs at the plant and across Canada. This marks the first large-scale production of battery-electric vehicles made in Canada by an auto maker for Canadians and the export market.
We thank Ford of Canada for its leadership.