PM Trudeau on Asahi Kasei’s EV battery separator plant in Port Colborne, Ont. – May 14, 2024

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces Asahi Kasei Corporation’s plan to build an EV battery separator plant in Port Colborne, Ont. The prime minister is joined by federal ministers François-Philippe Champagne (industry) and Filomena Tassi (minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario), Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Vic Fedeli (Ontario's minister of economic development,) as well as Koshiro Kudo (president and representative director of Asahi Kasei Corporation), Kanji Yamanouchi (Japan's ambassador to Canada), and Bill Steele (mayor of Port Colborne).

Asahi Kasei Corporation is investing approximately $1.6 billion to build a facility for battery separators, an essential component of the lithium-ion batteries used in EVs. Construction for the facility is expected to be completed by 2024 and commercial operation is expected by 2027. The project is a joint investment with Honda Canada and a part of Honda’s $15-billion electric vehicle investment in Ontario to build four new manufacturing plants in the province.

Responding to questions from reporters, the prime minister comments on whether Canada plans to impose follow the United States and impose new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Trudeau also faces questions on his political future as his party continues to trail in the polls to the Conservative party led by Pierre Poilievre.