—to say that these guys believe in Canadian union jobs.
Any MP in this committee who fights the release of these public contracts is an accomplice in the cover-up of this LIberal government that is trying to cover up their failures in putting together a proper contract that protects Canadian jobs. That's what they're afraid of. If you vote to do anything other than release the entire contract, under the terms of that contract—there are commercial provisions in there—and let the contract dictate what can go out, then you are assisting this government in covering up the truth on the jobs.
Mark my words, when there are 1,600 South Koreans here; when there are 1,600 or 1,000 Swedish workers here in the Ford plant in Quebec; when Volkswagen....
By the way, I can tell you another thing that's not in the contract: any commitment that's required after the government subsidy ends in 2032. There is zero commitment after spending $15 billion. It's not in the contract. You would think it would be in there, but of course it's not in the contract because the minister didn't read the contract. Probably nobody in cabinet read the contract. I'm certain that none of the MPs opposite, with their speaking notes from the Department of Industry, read the contract.
I can tell you that putting it in this little secret chamber where you can't bring in a notepad, where you have to lock your phones outside, where you're allowed to read it.... Believe me, I spent six hours reading the Volkswagen contract. I read it many times.
By the way, in case you're wondering, there are two for each of these. There is an SIF contract. That's the industry SIF program, which spends billions of dollars. In the case of Volkswagen, $778 million is going to build the plant with taxpayer money and in the Stellantis case, it's $500 million out of the SIF contract.
Then, there is the production subsidy contract. That's the one where they are subsidizing 100% of the cost of the battery. That is what this Liberal government thinks is a great deal: an industry that can only survive if Canadian taxpayers pay 100% of the cost of the battery.
No wonder they don't want the contracts public. They'll be too embarrassed that they were taken to the cleaners by these foreign multinationals for not doing their homework.
It's time that members of Parliament who have had enough of the story from NextStar that changes every day about how many foreign workers they're bringing in, the story that changes from this government, the minister from Edmonton who said that there's only one coming....
He said it in the House. Then, the Minister of Industry said that there are only a couple. Then, the Minister of Natural Resources tweeted that actually there are lots coming, and it's all Harper's fault.
Yes, it's a terrible thing that we signed free trade deals, and it's Harper's fault that this government doesn't know how to negotiate a contract and doesn't know how to protect Canadian jobs in a contract.
The time has come for all of those who care about transparency and care about ensuring that all the jobs in Windsor, St. Thomas and in the two plants in Quebec go to Canadians, go to Quebeckers, and don't go to foreign nationals who will take all that pay home. It's time for you to show some courage and ask for these contracts to be made public. Anything less than that is a failure by every member of Parliament here, who will be complicit in the cover-up.