OTTAWA and TORONTO -- The Harper government has struck an election campaign-eve deal with General Motors of Canada Ltd. that requires the auto maker to build a hybrid car in Oshawa, Ont., invest $245-million in a plant in St. Catharines, Ont., and undertake leading-edge environmental research at its Canadian engineering centre.
Hammered out by Industry Minister Jim Prentice, the deal will preserve more than 300 GM jobs in St. Catharines. Earlier this year, GM announced 2,600 job cuts in Oshawa.
The agreement should also help the Tories keep their parliamentary seat in St. Catharines, which they won by a slim margin in 2006.
It's the second move in three days by the federal Conservatives to support auto-industry jobs as the clock ticks down to tomorrow's anticipated kickoff of a federal election campaign.
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