Citing pressures from Donald Trump’s tariff war, auto corporations are moving to eliminate jobs in Canada. The latest wave of layoffs, which hit 1200 workers at General Motors’ plants in Oshawa and Ingersoll, follows temporary layoffs of 3,000 workers at Stellantis in Windsor last month and combines with 1,500 additional layoffs in the auto industry supply chain.
The moves expose the unchecked power of auto monopolies, and they have prompted an upsurge in calls for the industry to be nationalized.
One of the organizations raising that demand is the Communist Party, whose Ontario provincial executive committee issued a tough statement on May 8 that says public ownership is urgent.
“While the trade war actions from the Trump administration are new, these layoffs are not isolated incidents. They are part of a decades-long assault on workers’ livelihoods and sovereignty in Canada, enabled by free trade deals like the USMCA, which empower corporations, pit workers against each other across borders, and sacrifice entire communities for higher profits. With over 100,000 jobs in Canada directly tied to auto parts and assembly, and hundreds of thousands more in communities built around this industry, we cannot let these layoffs continue without a fight.
“The solution is clear: it’s time to take auto out of corporate hands and put it under public ownership and democratic control.”
To continue reading the full article please visit People’s Voice (Canada).
