Premier ‘taken aback’ by Chrysler move

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says she was surprised when she learned Chrysler was withdrawing its request for public funding of its Ontario plants.

Yesterday Chrysler Canada announced it would spend its own money to upgrade its assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton. As a result, the automaker says it’s no longer looking to the federal and Ontario governments for $700 million in financial help.

“I was very taken aback by the letter I received yesterday morning, and I was taken aback because in all of the conversations with my officials, which were daily because this is obviously a very important issue for us, I had no warning that that was going to happen so, I think that to the degree that there was a perception of discord because, it is clear that the leader of the opposition did not take the same position that we did, that he didn’t see that partnering with the auto industry was a priority, to the degree that that might have influenced this, that is very unfortunate, but, I can not tell you the degree to that which that was the case.”

Chrysler builds its minivan in Windsor, while the Brampton plant turns out the Chrysler 300 sedan, along with the Dodge Charger and Challenger.