Canada’s federal government will seek to recover millions of dollars in public incentives from General Motors (GM) after the automaker confirmed plans to cut 500 jobs at its Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly said Ottawa would act to reclaim funding tied to both the Oshawa facility and GM’s Ingersoll plant, where production of BrightDrop electric vans was halted in October. It is the second major workforce reduction by the company in Canada in less than six months.
Speaking on Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Joly said she had met with GM representatives and made the government’s position clear. She warned that if the company did not continue investing in Canada, public funds would be redirected to competitors willing to expand. The minister added that the clawback would amount to “millions” and that Ottawa would work to secure new employment for affected workers.
The layoffs stem from GM’s decision to reduce Oshawa operations from three shifts to two beginning February 2. The plant builds Chevrolet Silverado pickups, many of which are exported to the United States. GM said preparations were continuing for production of its next generation of gasoline-powered trucks.
The company has emphasised its longer-term commitment to the country, noting that GM has invested more than $2.6bn in Canadian manufacturing over the past five years, including a $280m programme to support next-generation full-size pickup production and reinforce Oshawa’s role in its core truck portfolio.
Federal and Ontario governments agreed in 2022 to contribute up to C$259m each to upgrade the Oshawa and Ingersoll sites, a package officials said would safeguard 2,600 jobs. Joly argued that taxpayers deserved accountability, contrasting GM’s pullback with Toyota’s recent launch of a new RAV4 in Ontario and Honda’s decision to maintain staffing despite pausing EV supply chain plans.
Canada has been aggressively courting new automotive investment from Hyundai, Volkswagen and Chinese manufacturers as US tariffs disrupt the integrated North American supply chain. The turbulence has already prompted Stellantis to cancel plans to build the Jeep Compass in Ontario, leaving thousands of workers sidelined and prompting Ottawa to issue a notice of default on its aid package.