OTTAWA — The Opposition Conservatives are calling on the federal Liberal government to exempt taxes on severance pay for laid-off G-M workers in Ingersoll, Ont.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote a letter to Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Sunday calling for the tax relief.
Poilievre argues taxes on G-M's lump-sum severance payments could deprive out-of-work employees of "tens of thousands of dollars" at a time when they still need to pay their mortgages and grocery bills.
The G-M CAMI plant ended its BrightDrop electric vehicle production last year, citing weak market demand -- leaving more than a thousand workers out of a job.
Unifor has accused U-S President Donald Trump of upending Ontario's auto sector and battering the Ingersoll plant through damaging tariffs and policies harmful to the E-V industry.
Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a new industrial strategy last week for the auto sector -- vowing it will drive investment and re-tool the electric-vehicle sector in the face of Trump's policies.