University of Guelph president Charlotte Yates is featured in a new podcast on the future of the automotive industry in Canada.
Yates discusses recent plans by Ford and Fiat Chrysler to increase production of electric cars in Canada and explains what the automotive industry must do to make a successful transition to zero emissions vehicles.
A frequent media commentator on auto sector labour issues, Yates is the co-author of a 2019 national report on the future of Canada’s automotive sector. The report, released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, suggests that electric and driverless vehicles could be the key to the industry’s survival in Canada. It also outlines a plan to boost competitiveness and avoid plant closures.
The podcast, produced by the Smart Prosperity Institute, a national research network and policy think tank based at the University of Ottawa, is available online.
Yates is the president of the non-profit Automotive Policy Research Centre, which develops policy research focused on maintaining a competitive and sustainable Canadian automotive industry. She is also the academic representative on the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council and has been recognized by the Ontario Ministry of the Status of Women for her teaching and research on the labour industry and unions.