Ford Canada CEO says company not wavering from $700M investment in Ontario

Ford Canada's new president and CEO says the company's financial commitment to auto manufacturing in Canada has not wavered since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Mark Buzzell, who took over the position in January, says Ford remains committed to the $700 million funding injection it promised last fall as part of a labour deal reached with Unifor.

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He says some of the money will go towards Ford's assembly plant in Oakville, Ont., and some of it to two engine plants in Windsor, Ont.

Since Trump became president promoting protectionist policies, questions have arisen over whether the three automakers remain committed to $1.5 billion in investments in Canada, as they agreed to after collective bargaining with Unifor.

Since his inauguration about a month ago, Trump has kick-started efforts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, spoke of the need to implement border tariffs and withdrawn U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

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Buzzell says it's difficult to speculate on how such policies could affect the auto sector, but added that Ford is a big proponent of free trade and believes NAFTA has served it well.