Wow, Canada Is Mad At General Motors

General Motors is at odds with Canada’s federal government over the uncertain future of its shuttered CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.

According to a report from Automotive News, GM has missed a deadline set by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly to deliver a clear plan for the idled facility. The absence of direction has deepened anxiety among workers. The plant has been quiet since GM slowed production of the BrightDrop electric van at the southern Ontario facility earlier this spring.

In October, GM announced it would be permanently ending production of the slow-selling model. The shutdown comes a few short years after CAMI underwent a billion-dollar retool following the end of Chevrolet Equinox production at the facility in 2022.

Unfortunately, electric van demand never materialized. Fewer than 2,000 BrightDrop vans were sold in 2024, against a 50,000 annual production capacity. Through the first three quarters of 2025, U.S. sales reached 3,976 units—still less than 10% of the plant's expected output.

Minister Joly responded to GM's play by demanding a detailed update from GM within 15 days, a relatively unreasonable expectation considering how long automakers typically take to evaluate product allocation, now with the added complexity of ongoing cross-border trade tensions.

GM blew past the deadline without filing the requested plan.

That triggered frustration on Parliament Hill, with Conservative MP Arpan Khanna, who represents many CAMI workers, accusing the minister of failing the families of workers who are anxiously waiting for a direction. GM Canada president Kristian Aquilina earlier said workers would receive full pay for six months, along with some benefits.

Joly’s office maintains that a “new vehicle mandate” for CAMI is still on the table.

While GM says it’s evaluating “future opportunities” for the facility, patience in Ingersoll is wearing thin. Unifor Local 88 President Mike Van Boekel has been blunt with both the company and the public. He warned that if GM attempts to decommission the plant by removing equipment, workers are prepared to intervene and occupy the plant.

“If they try to remove even one single thing from the plant, we are ready to take over,” Van Boekel said.

GM insists the shutdown isn't politically motivated, even though there's very little wiggle room for interpretation. On an earnings call, CEO Mary Barra was candid. "The commercial electric van market has been developing much slower than expected, and changes to the regulatory framework and fleet incentives have made the business even more challenging."

In the U.S., GM cut 3,000 jobs associated with its electric vehicle and battery programs—one of the largest industry clawbacks since U.S. policy moved to promote combustion vehicles earlier this year. 1,700 workers will permanently lose their jobs, while another 1,500 will be temporarily laid off, with a potential return sometime next year.

GM’s other Canadian operations aren't making out much better. Oshawa Assembly will shed its third shift in January, resulting in the loss of 750 jobs and 1,000 supplier-related positions as a result of the automaker’s decision to move some of Oshawa's Chevrolet Silverado production to its Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant. The workforce at GM’s Propulsion plant in St. Catharines has been cut in half to 600 workers as the company has delayed a scheduled EV refit until at least 2027.

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