Unifor has reported General Motors is planning to temporarily halt, then reduce, production of its BrightDrop electric commercial vehicle at its CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont.

“This is a crushing blow to hundreds of working families in Ingersoll and the surrounding region who depend on this plant,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “General Motors must do everything in its power to mitigate job loss during this downturn, and all levels of government must step up to support Canadian auto workers and Canadian-made products.”

Temporary layoffs are to begin April 14, with workers returning in May for limited production, after which production will cease until October, Unifor reported. The downtime is to allow GM to retool the plant for production of the 2026 model year commercial vehicles.

But when work resumes in October, the plant is expected to run just a single shift for the foreseeable future, which could result in indefinite layoffs for nearly 500 workers.

GM has been building the BrightDrop electric commercial vehicle there since early 2023. The plant employs about 1,200 people.

“Our members have endured so much — from retooling disruptions to months of rotating layoffs — and now they’re facing a major production slowdown and job loss,” said Unifor Local 88 CAMI plant chairman Mike Van Boekel. “Global demand for last-mile delivery vehicles is only growing. Our members have the skill, the experience, and the pride to build world-class electric vehicles right here in Canada — all we need is the opportunity to keep doing it.”

Unifor is calling for government support, especially in light of U.S.-imposed tariffs on vehicles made in Canada, and the rollback of certain emissions regulations.

“The reality is the U.S. is creating industry turmoil. Trump’s short-sighted tariffs and rejection of EV technology is disrupting investment and freezing future order projections,” said Payne. “This is creating an opening for China and other foreign automakers to dominate the global EV market while the North America industry risks falling behind.

“Make no mistake — the world is moving rapidly towards electrification. If Canada and the U.S. hit pause now, we may never catch up,” Payne warned. “We risk surrendering our future unless we act decisively to support our own industry.”