Gregor Robertson, the minister responsible for the federal agency who helped finance a BC Ferries contract to buy China ships, says that Canada must “catch up” with the United States when it comes to protecting national jobs and economics.
Robertson says that Ottawa is looking at a policy of “Buying Canada”, a strategy that, according to him, has not been as strong as the “buy American” approach through the border.
The minister is responsible for the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which is helping to finance the purchase of four new ships with electric diesel from the China Weihai Astandards merchant industry with a loan of $ 1 billion from BC Ferries.
But Robertson told the media in response to a question about the decision to buy ships from the Chinese state firm that “it is not directly related to the federal government” and that the decision was taken by BC Ferries.
The conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says that a loan of $ 1 billion at BC Ferries should be canceled after the Crown Provincial Corporation decided to work with a Chinese naval builder. Pailievre says that China should be “penalized” by its new tariffs on the Canadian canola.
He says that implementing an “buying Canada” approach was being carried out throughout the government.
Robertson was talking in Coquitlam, BC, where he announced that another Federal Economic Development Agency is providing almost $ 7 million to a couple of companies that develop technologies to reduce waste.
The financing of Pacific Economic Development Canada includes $ 4.9 million for Moment Energy, which produces energy storage systems made of reused electric vehicle batteries.
The agency known as Pacifican says in a statement that the moment is the first certified American firm to reuse EV batteries, giving them 10 to 15 years of life.
The Moment CEO, Edward Chiang, on Monday told the press conference at the company’s Coquitlam plant that the company helps maintain EV batteries out of landfills, and financing would allow them to expand manufacturing and help energy communities in North America.
Another $ 1.8 million will be allocated to Novo Textile Company to support their plan to combine recycled textile fibers with wooden pulp to produce new textiles, which according to the statement could divert around 7,000 tons of waste clothing of the landfills every year.
