Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the number of direct jobs generated by the Volkswagen battery plant in St. Thomas was provided by Volkswagen and is based on the level of employment it has determined it needs to reach the anticipated production capacity of the plant.
With regard to part (b), as indicated, the number for direct jobs was provided by Volkswagen. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any additional information with respect to how Volkswagen arrived at this figure as it is confidential business information.
With regard to part (c), the economic benefits of battery cell manufacturing are significant for job creation. The number announced for indirect jobs generated by the battery plant is based on a job multiplier of 10, which was derived from an internal study done by the Volkswagen Group regarding its plant in Valencia, Spain.
The Volkswagen study is currently not publicly available. However, it is fully anticipated that a significant portion of the supply chain surrounding the St. Thomas plant will be established within Canada, which will lead to a significant multiplier.
With regard to part (d), Canada’s battery manufacturing industry is still in its infancy. The government therefore had to rely on evidence from outside of Canada to determine the potential impact of this plant on job creation throughout the economy. Unfortunately, we cannot provide further details about how Volkswagen arrived at its job multiplier as it is confidential business information.