General Motors' Latest on Oshawa Plant: \_()_/

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

General Motors CEO and Chairwoman Mary Barra met with Canadian government officials in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, but didn’t reveal any specifics for the automaker’s languishing Oshawa, Ontario plant, according to CTV News.

Barra spoke with Navdeep Bains, Canada’s economic development minister, before she met with new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Bains promoted Oshawa as a place for GM to build cars and develop technology for future cars. The Oshawa plant currently produces several outgoing models including the Cadillac XTS, Buick Regal and several others with uncertain futures including the outgoing Chevrolet Equinox.

Chevrolet built the Camaro in Oshawa before shifting production to Michigan last year, which resulted in 1,000 job cuts.

Bains pressed Barra to consider the Canadian facility for the company’s long-term plans at the economic summit in Davos, but GM appears to be firmly noncommittal.

“We made it very clear that Canada is open for business, that we’re a willing partner in that and as they plan production, as they plan their business plan for the next two to three to five years, that we’re part of that business plan, that we are given serious consideration,” Bains said, according to CTV.

Canadian officials have long pressed GM into committing more to the Oshawa plant, which stayed open during the final crisis, in part, due to the government’s help. Last year, the former mayor of Oshawa, John Gray, told Canadians to boycott GM if the automaker didn’t commit more cars and jobs to the facility:

“Canadian taxpayers bailed out GM Canada, allowing it to survive. Recently, the federal and provincial governments have sold their shares in the company … Now they have no say over the company.

“Canadian taxpayers lost $3 billion on the sales of the shares. And now GM doesn’t plan on having a presence here. That’s a pretty compelling story.”


Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • RideHeight RideHeight on Jan 24, 2016

    “We need more passionate, fervent, but LOGICAL & SINCERE debate” Are we voting on something? I never get the effing memo.

  • Jeff S Jeff S on Jan 24, 2016

    Lou, do you think this is more posturing by GM to get the Canadian Gov. to kick in some more money to get GM to stay in Oshawa? If so what assurances does the Canadian Gov. have that GM is not going to pull out anyway?

  • VoGhost Great to see leadership from Washington in supporting American businesses and job creation.
  • VoGhost Oh, Mattie, I am BEGGING you to take a course in economics. There's probably a community college near you offering courses for free or very cheap. Seriously, people this ignorant of basic economics really should not be writing this drivel. Stick to what you know: pimping for big oil.
  • 2manyvettes I was a computer instructor in a local technical college for some years teaching Windows OS and Micosoft Office. Not long before I retired I purchased a Mac Book Air laptop. It didn't take me long to learn the Apple OS and the first thing I learned was the lousy job Microsoft did ripping off the Apple software. I purchased Microsoft Office for Apple at the time and discovered when Apple upgraded the OS to 64 bit and my 32 bit Office software would no longer run on the laptop, that embedded in the Apple OS was software that could open any Office file and could save any file in Microsoft file format. I have always felt if Apple sold product at PC prices they would put Microsoft out of business. Oh, and I bought my Mac ten years ago and still runs like brand new. Effect on Rivian? Who knows? Based on my experience with their technology, it could be interesting.
  • Spectator This was an amazing vehicle. Back then Acura knew how to make a plush and comfy seat!
  • Syke F1 fan and normally watch every race, although most of them are DVR'd. I've got my Xfinity box set up to record everything automatically. This past Sunday I watched the race live for a change.
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