'Irresponsible' and 'horrendous:' Windsor's auto workers react to $1.1B write-off to Chrysler

While some auto workers in Windsor are calling the Liberal government's write-off of a $1.1 billion loan, plus interest, "irresponsible" and "horrendous," others say it's "essential" to keep the industry in the city.

The write-off, which was cobbled together to save Chrysler during the 2009 global economic meltdown, was buried in a volume of the 2018 Public Accounts of Canada, tabled in Parliament on Friday.

"I think it's a little irresponsible from the government. It's an important thing to pay off your debts and I understand that we have other things to pay off, but it's not really cool. I think it's going to bounce back on us," said part-time worker Curtis Lister, adding the debt is going to "come back eventually."

The taxpayer-funded loan has been accruing interest for nine years without payments, and the write-off represents a loss of public funds totalling $2.6 billion.

"They took the loan. They had to pay it off somehow ... I just feel like that money is still gone. It's still out of Canada's possession," said Lister.

Debbie Kotyk, another employee at Chrysler's Windsor assembly plant, said if everybody has to pay their debts back, "why are they any different?"

"We were going to take pay cuts to give back to people working who were getting paid lower to have everybody make a decent wage and stay here in Windsor," said Kotyk.

One worker calls write-off 'essential'

But workers like Ralph Kirchner have a different perspective. He said "giving" money to corporations for the purpose of keeping jobs in the city is something he hates, but adds it's an "essential" move.

"In return, we still have 5,000 to 6,000 people employed here."

That doesn't mean the write-off is perfectly okay with Kirchner, whoever, who added revenues gained from the $2.4 billion should be deferred to workers in the form of a raise.

As for Chrysler worker Shawn Duguay, he said if the common taxpayer is sought after for not paying back their loans, big corporations should have to do so as well.

"You've got to pay your loans back. That's just absolutely horrendous."