Welcome to the Daily 5 report for Tuesday, Nov. 25.
When General Motors ended production of its BrightDrop electric vans last month in Canada, the Canadian government gave the automaker 15 days to submit a plan for the idled CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.
That deadline has come and gone.
It's not clear whether Industry Minister Melanie Joly meant 15 calendar days or 15 business days, but it doesn't matter: Both dates — Nov. 7 and Nov. 13 — have long passed.
As Automotive News Canada reported, the missed deadline drew criticism from a local politician with CAMI workers in his jurisdiction.
An AN Canada source said anonymously that it was impossible for the automaker to detail plans for an idled plant within two weeks amid the ongoing trade war with the United States and the investment uncertainty it sows.
The source also said the request made Joly look out of touch with how the industry works. Automakers often take years to determine product plans and allocations.
However, at the time, outgoing GM Canada President Kristian Aquilina had said the BrightDrop decision had "nothing to do with tariffs" while GM CEO Mary Barra said the decision was simply driven by a lack of demand for the vans.
GM has repeatedly said it is looking for a way to continue using the plant that employs about 1,200 autoworkers, while the union has threatened to commandeer the plant if GM tries to pull up stakes.
"We have made our position with the company crystal clear: Nothing comes in and nothing goes out," Unifor Local 88 President Mike Van Boekel said in a notice to his members Nov. 11. "If they try to remove even one single thing from the plant, we are ready to take over. We are not kidding."
We'll be watching this one closely.
That's all for now. Enjoy the rest of your day. If you want to view this story on your browser, click here.
— Wes Raynal, assistant web editor
No comments:
Post a Comment