A day after General Motors eliminated the only model produced at its CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., government funding for the company came under increasing political scrutiny.
At Queen’s Park, opposition parties called on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to release the contract the province signed with GM on financial supports for the CAMI plant so Ontarians can see the terms for themselves.
Ford suggested he’ll consider that but would not commit to it.
“Yeah, let’s look at the confidentiality agreement that we’ve signed, and we’ve signed it with the federal government. But if we need to, we’ll take action,’ the premier told reporters Wednesday, a day after he threatened to take the automaker to court if it doesn’t fulfill its obligations.
Tuesday, GM announced it was eliminating its poorly-selling BrightDrop electric delivery van, the only vehicle produced at the CAMI assembly plant. The plant, which has been idle since May, had been expected to resume production in November. It was the only plant where the BrightDrop was made. The company issued layoff notices to 1,144 workers at the plant, according to the Unifor union.
Tuesday, federal industry minister Melanie Joly stopped short of explicitly threatening legal action, as she’d done against Stellantis last week after it shifted production of the latest version of the Jeep Compass from Brampton to Illinois. But she still said the federal government would keep a close eye on GM.
“We’ll hold them to account for any support we’ve given them to build that model. But we’re creating a response group to make sure they bring that plant a new model,” Joly said Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the company said Wednesday that GM is still considering potential plans for the CAMI plant.
“GM appreciates that support from Canadian and Ontario Governments enabled investments in CAMI and is looking forward to engaging with our partners to have meaningful discussions about opportunities for the plant,” the spokesperson said.
Under a deal with GM signed in 2022, the federal and provincial government each provided $259 million towards GM’s $2-billion retooling of its assembly plant in Oshawa, and its conversion of the CAMI plant into an electric vehicle production facility.
But critics said Wednesday that the Ontario premier should be fully aware of what the contract says and be holding GM to it.
“I don’t know why he wouldn’t just be already using what he has there,” said New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles.
“We’ve known for some time that this was coming,” she added, referring to fears about the plant’s future amid layoffs prompted by slow sales of the BrightDrop van. “The premier waits until there’s a notice on the plant gates before he does anything, and then it’s too late.”
Ford needs to turn words into action given the recent spate of bad news that includes a GTA factory that lost Jeep Compass production to the U.S. and the closure of a sawmill in northern Ontario, said Liberal MPP John Fraser.
“Other than tough talk, what has this premier done to protect the workers of Ingersoll, Brampton and Ear Falls?” said Fraser, his party’s leader in the legislature.
Green Leader Mike Schreiner said it’s time to hold both the premier’s and GM’s feet to the fire.
“I’m specifically looking for protection language, because when the government signed the contract, Greens were calling for protections for workers and protections for taxpayers. And if Doug Ford failed to deliver that, then he needs to be held accountable,” Schreiner said.
