Kyoto to cost jobs, investment, says Decoma’s Power

Ottawa’s decision to ratify Kyoto will mean less investment and fewer jobs in the Canadian auto parts manufacturing industry, said Al Power, president of Decoma International Inc., in an article published in the Globe and Mail. In the article, Power said the environmental accord will put Canada at a competitive disadvantage with the United States, which has rejected the agreement. With Ottawa revealing few details on how it plans to meet the requirement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 6% below 1990 levels, auto companies are likely to shy away from making investments here, he added, noting that southern U.S. states are offering financial incentives to attract companies to their regions.
Decoma makes and supplies plastic exterior auto parts for a number of automotive OEMs. Power said that while the company stands to profit overall from Kyoto, as designers turn to the use of more plastic to reduce vehicle weight, those profits will not originate in Canada.