The Detroit Three automakers must go public with their aid requests in this country so that taxpayers have the same information as Americans do before their political leaders make a decision, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said Wednesday.
"Ontarians are people of goodwill and they do want to lend a hand to families in a time of challenge, but don't try to pull the wool over our eyes," McGuinty said.
"We're on a two-way street here."
If the government is going to hand over money, he said, it will first want to know how many jobs will be lost and what the companies will do to turn their operations around.
"Ontarians are, at a minimum, entitled to know by way of information, the kind of information they've already made public in the United States."
Sources have confirmed to The Canadian Press that Chrysler, Ford and General Motors are seeking a total of $6.8 billion in loans and credit lines from Ottawa and Ontario, but the only company that has made its request public is Ford.
Chrysler is reportedly also threatening to shut down two plants in the province if it doesn't get the funding it wants.
The Canadian and Ontario governments have been watching the negotiations in Washington closely and are under pressure to provide assistance to the Detroit automakers as well.
On Wednesday, Congressional Democratic leaders and the White House finalized a deal to spend US$15 billion on emergency loans for struggling U.S. automakers -- a measure that could have a ripple effect beyond the U.S. borders and could be enacted by week's end.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has acknowledged that Canada may have to act before the Jan. 27 budget to help bail out the teetering auto sector, but added Ottawa is not prepared to write a blank cheque to the Detroit Three.
McGuinty said Wednesday he still didn't know how much money Ontario would be on the hook for and is continuing to speak with Ottawa to see how any aid package would be split between the two governments.
"When it comes to liquidity issues, which is what we're talking about right now, that's the kind of responsibility that's been assumed by the national level of government, not a provincial or state government," McGuinty said.
