GM Bright Drop cancellation at CAMI latest Trump policy casualty

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2025 /CNW/ - 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 dangerous and destabilizing auto policies.

Aerial view of the GM CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll. (CNW Group/Unifor)

"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 today's 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 on what comes next for the facility. CAMI remains a critical regional economic driver and was the centrepiece of a $1-billion retooling 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 blow comes ahead of the company's previously announced elimination of a shift at GM Oshawa, scheduled for January 2026, heightening concerns about GM's long-term manufacturing footprint in Canada. The news also follows a decision by Stellantis to relocate Jeep Compass production from Brampton to the United States.

Unifor will meet with GM and both levels of government immediately to press for a new product mandate and ensure CAMI remains a pillar of Canadian auto production.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future. 

SOURCE Unifor

For media inquiries or to arrange interviews please contact Unifor Communications Director Kathleen O'Keefe at [email protected] or by cell at [phone].