General Motors confirmed on Thursday that it will scale back activity at its Oshawa, Ontario assembly plant, eliminating roughly 500 positions as the facility reverts from a temporary three-shift schedule to a two-shift operation. The company said the change takes effect Sunday and stems from the end of a short-term production boost that had been used to meet surging pickup-truck demand after the pandemic and to replenish low inventories.
A GM Canada spokesperson, Jennifer Wright, said by phone that the third shift was temporary and that the adjustment is not related to the 25% tariff on Canadian-built vehicles imposed by the United States last year. Wright also said the decision is separate from Canada’s updated approach to electric-vehicle imports from China, noting the country has allowed up to 49,000 Chinese-made EVs with a 6.1% tariff.
Union Unifor, however, issued a statement saying the reduction will have wider effects across the supply chain. The union estimated that up to 1,200 workers across the auto supply chain could finish their final shifts on Friday as GM scales back Canadian operations. Unifor additionally said GM rejected a proposal to keep the third shift in place through 2026 and accused the company of moving production to the United States following the tariff change.
Unifor National President Lana Payne criticized GM’s decision in a statement, saying the company had "made a clear decision to cave to Donald Trump rather than stand up for its loyal Canadian workforce, making the workers in Oshawa pay for that appeasement with their jobs."
GM emphasized that Oshawa remains a significant investment for the company. Wright highlighted a planned C$280 million investment to support the next generation of gas-powered trucks, part of more than C$2.6 billion GM says it has invested in Canadian manufacturing over the past five years. The Oshawa plant is notable for being GM’s only North American facility that assembles both light- and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pickups on the same line. Portions of the plant will continue to support aftermarket stamping and sub-assembly work.
Elsewhere in Ontario, GM said its St. Catharines propulsion plant will continue producing next-generation V8 engines for the company’s truck and SUV lineup. The company also said CAMI Assembly remains under assessment for potential future programs.
GM previously announced the cancellation of BrightDrop van production in October, citing slow development in the commercial EV van market. That vehicle was produced in Canada, and GM said it expects to record a charge related to the cancelled program in the fourth quarter.
Currency conversion noted by the company is $1 = 1.3503 Canadian dollars.