CAPE calls for Canada’s Public Sector Pension plan to divest from Tesla

/EIN News/ -- OTTAWA, Ontario, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees is calling on the Canadian Public Sector Pension Investment Board, and all pension funds in Canada, to divest from all Tesla holdings.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s owner and the richest person on the planet, has been using his corporate influence to destroy government and public services in the U.S. He is using his unelected role heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to dismantle essential public services and slash jobs without accountability.

“It is deeply concerning that Canadian public sector pension funds are being used to support a corporation whose owner is directly attacking the federal programs and workforce that deliver essential services for millions of ordinary Americans,” said CAPE President and Public Service Pension Advisory Committee member Nathan Prier. “CAPE and its members stand firmly in solidarity with our siblings south of the border and against corporate interference, naked conflicts of interest, and indiscriminate job cuts that weaken critical public services ordinary Americans rely on.”

Divesting from Tesla would send a clear and principled message: Canadian public sector workers and taxpayers will not support companies that put profit over public service, particularly when the administration those companies support is threatening to annex Canada. We urge the CPSIB to act now.

CAPE has also been warning against any attempt by current or future Canadian federal governments to implement a DOGE-like approach to public services. Canadians need much more than tax cuts, deregulation, and a race to the bottom to defend themselves against American attacks on our economy and sovereignty. A new federal government mandate should deliver for working people to get us through this crisis, and that will mean strong federal and provincial programs, such as EI and health care, backed by a strong public sector.

CAPE has put forth recommendations that would save taxpayers’ dollars while not impacting service delivery to Canadians, including reducing the reliance on expensive outside contractors, which recently reached record levels, and implementing a flexible telework policy to free up more office buildings to be sold or converted to much-needed housing.

About CAPE
With more than 27,000 members, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees is one of the largest federal public sector unions in Canada, dedicated to advocating on behalf of federal employees in the Economics and Social Science Services (EC) and Translation (TR) groups, as well as employees of the Library of Parliament (LoP), the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (OPBO) and civilian members of the RCMP (ESS and TRL). Read more.

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Media requests:
                    
                    Laura Gauthier, media@acep-cape.ca, 613-261-6526