OTTAWA — The federal and Ontario governments are forming a joint response group after General Motors (GM) announced it will end production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van at the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday the group’s goal will be to “bring back a new model to Ingersoll” and preserve employment in Ontario’s auto sector.
“Obviously tough news this morning for the workers in Ingersoll for GM,” Joly said. “We’ve decided, all together, that we would be creating a new response group.”
Joly said she spoke with GM Canada’s CEO, Unifor’s leadership, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford about the plan.
Electric Van Production Halted
GM halted BrightDrop production in April, citing sluggish demand for electric delivery vehicles and changing tax incentives in the United States. The plant, Canada’s first full-scale electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility, had received federal and provincial funding and was expected to restart in November with a single shift.
The company said production will not be transferred elsewhere. About 1,200 unionized workers were employed at the facility before the suspension earlier this year.
Political Fallout
The move sparked immediate backlash in Ottawa, coming just a week after Stellantis announced plans to move its Jeep Compass production from Brampton, Ont., to Illinois — threatening another 3,000 Canadian jobs.
In the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the Liberal government of failing to protect auto workers.
“How does the prime minister look in the eyes of the very workers that he sold out and betrayed?” Poilievre asked.
Joly replied that the government is “fighting for their jobs every single day,” while Poilievre dismissed the talks as “empty meetings without action.”
Stellantis Contracts Under Review
Conservatives also passed a motion to review Stellantis’s federal contracts dating back to 2015, to determine whether they included job protection clauses tied to the company’s multi-billion-dollar EV investment deals.
Pressed by Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer, Joly said the contracts would show that the government “negotiated well” and that Stellantis “is on the hook.”
However, she later clarified that the financial support was linked to production at the company’s upcoming battery plant in Windsor, which has yet to begin operations.
Joly added that Ottawa is prepared to pursue legal action if necessary to ensure Stellantis and GM uphold their commitments to Canadian workers.
