Paradis Promotes Canada to Carmakers at Auto Show

Industry minister Christian Paradis attended the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on Tuesday during the press preview period in a visit to promote Canada as a destination for automotive investment.

“Canada is a premier place to do business and a great place to build cars,” said Minister Paradis, according to a press release. “Given our low tax rate, solid fiscal framework, investments in R&D, and highly skilled workforce, I look forward to further investments in Canada.”

He added that the federal government’s Automotive Innovation Fund (AIF), a five-year, $250 million investment announced earlier this month, highlights Canada’s commitment to auto manufacturing and in particular to leading-edge, innovative projects and to R&D to build more advanced and greener products and processes.

“We are ensuring Canada continues to be a centre of automotive innovation, a place where the ‘car of the future’ is built,” Paradis said.

Canada’s auto industry contributes 12 percent of manufacturing gross domestic product and 11 percent of total merchandise exports, according to the press release. 

It provides jobs for about 111,000 Canadians directly and another 338,000 indirectly.

Currently five major carmakers build cars in Canada: General Motors Company, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Honda Motor Company.

The NAIAS is in its 25th year as an international event and is one of the largest media events in North America and among the most prestigious auto shows in the world. 

Previews for the press, industry, and charity are scheduled Jan. 14–18, while the show is open to the public Jan. 19–27.

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