The Ford government criticized the use of foreign workers to build the Ontario battery plant

The Doug Ford government evaded questions from reporters regarding the use of hundreds of foreign workers for the construction of a battery factory in Windsor, Ontario and instead shifted the responsibility to the federal government.

On Friday night, the Windsor police released a statement, stating that approximately 1600 workers from South Korea are expected to travel to the region by 2024 to assist in the construction of the battery factory for Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions.

Neither the federal nor provincial governments have confirmed the number of foreign workers expected to participate in this project.

NextStar Energy, a joint investor of LG and Stellantis, has stated that the foreign workers coming to Windsor possess the necessary expertise for installing equipment.

The CEO of the company has committed that, after the launch, 2500 Canadian workers will be employed to operate the factory, with an additional 2300 hires during the construction process.

Lana Payne, the president of Unifor, said, "Hiring foreign workers is a serious concern for our union. We believe the shift towards electric vehicles should be accompanied by creating local jobs, securing union contracts, and hiring Canadian workers."

However, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the federal Conservative Party, called for an investigation into the matter and added that the contracts should be made public.

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