Windsor West MP Brian Masse is renewing the call for a national auto strategy in Canada.
The NDP's auto critic sent a letter to industry minister Navdeep Bains calling on the government to follow Unifor's lead after the union secured about $1-billion in investment through the latest round of talks with Ford, GM and Fiat-Chrysler.
Masse has an idea of where the government can start.
"What I've called for is a renewal of the Canadian Auto Partnership Council," says Masse. "We actually had industry sitting down in several facets, would work together on policies that would be effective to increase production and exportation."
In his letter, Masse says US President-elect Donald Trump would be doing more for Canada's auto sector than the federal government is at the moment if he holds to his promise to back out of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal
"Trump pulling out of TPP could possibly mean he does more for our auto industry than our federal government," says Masse.
Masse accuses the government of having weak policies to promote growth in the auto sector and argued only a national strategy can improve the future prospects of the industry in Canada.
A federal committee is expected to table a report of a study on Canadian manufacturing currently being undertaken. Recommendations from that report are intended to boost and strengthen the sector.
