Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Quebec’s Gaspé region on Wednesday where he announced a $25-million investment for the expansion of General Electric’s LM Wind Power plant.
The manufacturing plant produces rotor blades for wind mills.
The $170-million expansion will allow the factory to produce much larger blades for export to Europe and the United States, Trudeau said.
Once the project is complete, it is expected to generate at least 200 new jobs and will allow to maintain another 380.
“The project we’re announcing today will have a real impact on people’s lives here in Gaspé but also around the world as countries use more and more clean energy,” Trudeau said.
The prime minister said the investment not only solidifies Canada’s place as a world leader in green energy but allows for a more prosperous future.
“Building a more sustainable future goes hand in hand with growing the economy,” he said. “It’s not that we have to make a choice between fighting climate change and creating good jobs — it’s the only way of creating and maintaining good jobs.”
Wednesday’s announcement is the latest in a series of campaign-style stops.
Trudeau began his day in Percé, where he hosted an economic roundtable discussion and strolled down the town’s picturesque boardwalk for a photo with local MP and federal Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier.
During the opening remarks of the roundtable, Trudeau announced support for upgrades to the wharf at the Port of Cap-aux-Meules in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine and said Ottawa is withdrawing plans to transfer the port to a lower level of government.
Trudeau has refused to confirm whether there will be a fall election, but he has done little to quell the rumours with his recent flurry of travel and spending announcements.
The Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine riding narrowly remained Liberal in the last election, with Lebouthillier defeating her Bloc Québécois rival by less than 700 votes.
— With files from the Canadian Press