Omar Sachedina, CTV National News Jan 28, 2026 Canada has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea that includes discussions around expanding Korean automotive manufacturing in Canada. APMA President Flavio Volpe pointed to shared geopolitical and economic pressures driving the talks, noting, “These are very friendly discussions between two countries that have found themselves with extremely similar geopolitical dynamics and similar economies, and in many ways co

Judy Trinh, CTV News Jan 28, 2026 Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said he pitched to a Korean delegation to consider building EVs in Ontario, arguing that “today the business case is there to build a plant here in Canada… and to build where they sell.” Noting Korean automakers now account for about 12% of the Canadian market, Volpe added this is an opportunity for Ottawa to leverage defence procurement, saying, “Canada is interested

Vassy Kapelos, Power Play | CTV News Jan 21, 2026 In an interview following Ford’s news conference, APMA President Flavio Volpe discussed the deal’s implications for Canada–U.S. relations. He said the federal government “did a good job briefing their counterparts in Washington,” adding that the 49,000-vehicle quota “is not significant in American terms.” Volpe also stressed the importance of ensuring that any investment by Chinese automakers meets USMCA standards, emphasizing

Émilie Gougeon-Pelletier and Lise Denis, Le Droit Jan 26, 2026 Reporting on a joint announcement made on Monday, with Premier Ford and Minister Joly, about a new “working group” as part of a strategy for the auto industry. The report also discusses the concerns about the Canada-China deal from industry experts and quotes APMA President Flavio Volpe, who said, about the Canada-China deal that, “This concession directly compromises the commercial prospects of the companies we a

Jack Ewing, The New York Times Jan 24, 2026 Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said that the deal exposes the industry to Chinese manufacturers that sell at artificially low prices made possible by government subsidies. “Chinese cars are cheaper for a reason,” he said. “All of those reasons are available only to the Chinese.” Read here  (Paywalled)

Josh Rubin, Toronto Star Jan 23, 2026 This article shares concerns following PM Carney’s Davos speech that it will be a difficult to find alternatives to trade with the U.S. as many industries rely heavily on this relationship. The bedrock assumptions of the automotive industry and the Canadian economy, for most of the last century are simply no longer a reality, said Flavio Volpe, President and CEO of the APMA. What was once a beacon of free trade and an open economic model,

Robert Benzie and Rob Ferguson, Toronto Star Jan 21, 2026 “Making that concession in this moment makes the entire Canadian auto sector on shakier ground,” Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said at Ford’s news conference. “We gave carefree access to about three per cent of the Canadian home market to importers who will not have to have any Canadian content in them,” said Volpe. Read here

Gabriel Friedman, Financial Post Jan 21, 2026 “You cannot have a system where you’re creating value for the Chinese state through EV credits,” Flavio Volpe, president of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, said. “We have to make our investments and protect them before we take on the Chinese, who don’t have profit as a key metric,” Volpe said. “I’m glad we didn’t do what they wanted and drop the tariff altogether, but I’m not happy about it. It’s a conces

Joshua Freeman, BNN Bloomberg Jan 21, 2026 Reporting on Premier Ford’s news conference, APMA President Flavio Volpe noted that 50,000 vehicles amounts to a full production shift at an auto plant and warned that “those jobs don’t exist comfortably in this new world.” Read here

Chris Campbell, CTV News Jan 21, 2026 Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, warned that lowering tariffs on Chinese EVs could undermine Canada’s auto sector, saying the measures were meant “to seed EV investments and to have them bear fruit before those products inevitably poured over the tariff wall.” After a year of “unprecedented pressure” from the White House, he added, “making that concession, in this moment, makes the entire Canadia

David Descôteaux, Le Journal de Montréal Jan 22, 2026 [Original in French] For the automotive industry, the figure raises eyebrows. Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, points out that these tariffs were specifically intended to give Canadian factories and suppliers a chance to establish themselves before the arrival of heavily subsidized vehicles. Read here

Flavio Volpe, Toronto Star Jan 21, 2026 APMA President Flavio Volpe argues that tariffs, in the face of China’s heavily state-supported auto industry, protects Canadian manufacturing and that we should be clear-eyed about the dangers of peeling back those protections. He maintains that the deal should be “conditional and reversible” and that “Long-term market access for Chinese EVs must be tied to manufacturing in Canada with Canadian partners in Canadian facilities, employin

Campbell Clark, The Globe and Mail Jan 20, 2026 This article reviews the Canada-China deal from an automotive industry’s perspective. It references APMA President Flavio Volpe’s view that PM Carney’s deal was meant to balance competing Canadian interests but that it ultimately isn’t great for the auto sector. Questioned on the difference between Trudeau’s approach with Carney’s, Volpe maintains that “He’s not as bullish on autos as his predecessor, that’s for sure.” Read here

Siobhan Morris, CTV News Jan 20, 2026 Reporting on the reactions to this agreement from auto plant workers to industry and government stakeholders. APMA President Flavio Volpe comments that the move is more bad news than good for Canadian auto. (Flavio Volpe appears @ 22:38) Watch here

Jill Bennett, The Jill Bennett Show | CKNW 730 Jan 16, 2026 APMA President Flavio Volpe criticized the deal from an automotive industry perspective, saying he is not satisfied with its current structure and wants Chinese automakers to manufacture in Canada. While he supports allowing a modest import quota as a temporary measure, Volpe stressed that “we should sunset the quota” once local production is established. He underscored the need to preserve advanced manufacturing cap

Cristina Howorun, The Big Story | City News Jan 19, 2026 APMA President Flavio Volpe discusses the implications this deal could have on the EV market, the 90,000 jobs in the auto sector and tariff and trade negotiations with the U.S. He warns that a mercurial Trump could change his ambivalence on this deal, “As we know, as will pass over this next week or so, [Trump] may revisit this.” Listen here

Josh Rubin and Estella Ren, Toronto Star Jan 17, 2026 APMA President Flavio Volpe said the deal undercuts a key sector in this country’s high tech manufacturing industry. “It’s a concession by definition,” said Volpe. “There are hard numbers on what they’re going to be allowed to bring in, but there are no hard details on local manufacturing,” said Volpe. “We should be confident enough that if the Chinese don’t bring the benefits they say they will, that we’ll walk away from

David Cochrane, Power & Politics | CBC News Jan 16, 2026 In a broadcast interview, APMA President Flavio Volpe said Canada’s limited allowance of Chinese EV imports represents a $2.5-billion market concession with no Canadian content, made to relieve pressure on other sectors amid U.S. tariffs. “We’ve given them a beachhead now… and we’re going to keep the prime minister and his team to their word that if there are no investments at the three-year review, we’re well within ou

Irene Galea, The Globe and Mail Jan 16, 2026 APMA President Flavio Volpe said the deal risks undermining Canadian jobs. While the 49,000 cap represents just 3 per cent of total annual auto sales in Canada, it also represents a full shift in an assembly plant for 1,000 employees and several thousand more in the supply chain, he said. “Every sale made guaranteed to an export source is a sale that doesn’t include Canadian content,” he said. Read here

Merella Fernandez, BNN Bloomberg Jan 16, 2026 APMA President Flavio Volpe joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the outlook and future of Canada's auto sector. “…we paid a price here…we have to remain vigilant that this doesn't become a permanent foothold that expands through the market like it did in Europe and put all those local manufacturers on the back foot.” Watch here