General Motors is cutting one of three shifts at its Oshawa Assembly plant. In a statement, the company cited “forecasted demand and the evolving trade environment”. The company says they are reorienting the plant to produce more trucks in Canada. Roughly 700 jobs will be impacted.
Following GM’s announcement, Unifor called for swift action. “We will not allow GM to barter Canadian jobs to gain Donald Trump’s favour. Cutting the third shift at Oshawa Assembly is a reckless decision that deals a direct blow to our members and threatens to ripple through the entire auto parts supplier network,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “GM needs to reverse this short-sighted move before more damage is done.” Payne further noted Trump’s tariffs are directly targeting the Canadian auto sector. “Trump’s tariffs are designed to crush Canadian production — but GM doesn’t get a free pass to abandon its commitments, and the U.S. doesn’t get to free ride in Canada”
The Canadian auto parts sector received a reprieve yesterday when the U.S. announced CUSMA-compliant Canadian parts would be exempt from tariffs going into effect May 3. However, tariffs still apply to vehicles made in Canada, and trade policy uncertainty continues to damage business investment. The U.S. President’s erratic trade policies are negatively impacting Canadian workers while deepening perceptions of U.S. unreliability.
Spencer Fernando
Image – YouTube
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