Unifor calls GM BrightDrop cancellation a ‘Trump policy casualty’
October 22, 2025
by CM Staff
The CAMI decision comes after of the company's previously announced elimination of a shift at GM Oshawa, scheduled for January 2026, heightening Unifor's reported concerns about GM's long-term manufacturing footprint in Canada.
Aerial view of the GM CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll. (CNW Group/Unifor)
TORONTO — General Motors’ announcement that production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van will cease at the CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario is the latest casualty of the Trump administration’s auto policies, according to Unifor in a statement.
“The reality is that CAMI was hit from both directions by Trump as he aggressively acted to undo EV supports and hit Canadian auto assembly plants with a 25% tariff,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Now more than 1,000 workers and their families are paying the price for Trump’s political interference and GM’s failure to hold the line.”
The announcement affects more than 1,000 Unifor Local 88 members currently on layoff after the plant was idled in May. At the time, GM cited slowing commercial-EV demand, but GM’s latest decision confirms a full end to the BrightDrop line.
“We have a lot of members with decades of dedication to GM who are now abandoned,” said Unifor Local 88 President Mike Van Boekel. “These are highly skilled workers who delivered for this company and this community. They deserve a future at CAMI — not a dead end.”
GM has made no commitment about what comes next for the facility. CAMI remains a regional economic driver and was the recipient of a $1-billion retooling project supported by federal and provincial investments.
“After billions of dollars in public support to build an EV future, Canada cannot allow companies to simply walk away the moment there is pressure from Washington or turbulence in the market,” said Payne. “Canada must respond with a real industrial strategy that defends Canadian jobs, leverages our market, and pushes back on Trump’s economic bullying.”
The CAMI decision comes after the company’s previously announced elimination of a shift at GM Oshawa, scheduled for January 2026, heightening Unifor’s reported concerns about GM’s long-term manufacturing footprint in Canada.
In a press release, Unifor stated that it will meet with GM and both levels of government to “press for a new product mandate and ensure CAMI remains a pillar of Canadian auto production.”
