“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.”

Given the steep plunge in Tesla shares this year due to extreme pushback from Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role as “special government employee” in the Trump administration’s DOGE unit – and the destruction of Tesla vehicles nationwide, Weingarten, in a letter sent to more than 75 state and city chief fiduciary officers, requested that state treasurers and comptrollers ask asset managers to assess their Tesla holdings. “Consequently, Tesla’s sales numbers for Q1 2025 are shaping up to be abysmal, with multiple major markets reporting declines north of 40%,” she said.

Also, in February, Weingarten wrote to BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity and TIAA, warning that her members’ exposure to tens of billions of dollars in Tesla stock in their portfolios presented an unacceptable retirement risk. AFT members participate in pension funds totaling an estimated $4 trillion.

Related: American Federation of Teachers urges fiduciaries to examine Tesla investments ‘at risk’ in pensions

“Divesting from Tesla would send a clear and principled message,” said CAPE. “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.”