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Officials Respond to CAMI Announcement

Wednesday, 22 October 2025 06:57

By Marcie Culbert X @marcieculbert

Photo Credit: Arpan Khanna X page, @ArpanKhanna

GM has discontinued the production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van in Ingersoll.

INGERSOLL/OTTAWA - The Conservative Member of Parliament for Oxford County is responding to the recent announcement out of Ingersoll.

GM Canada announced yesterday that it will discontinue the production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van at CAMI, resulting in an uncertain future for the 1,200 unionized employees there.

Arpan Khanna released the following statement to the media:

"Today's news regarding the CAMI Ingersoll’s layoffs is deeply saddening and concerning.

My thoughts are with the workers and their families impacted by the indefinite layoffs. This situation goes beyond just a headline; it is a major loss for our community. These are of our friends, neighbours, and family members.

The workers of Unifor Local 88 and Plant Chairperson Mike Van Boekel have my full support, not just today but in the weeks and months ahead.

I urge GM to find a solution to bring auto production back to Ingersoll. The CAMI plant and autoworkers are highly skilled and invaluable assets to the Canadian auto sector.

I will continue to advocate for measures that protect Oxford's auto workers and help strengthen our local economy. Oxford's autoworkers are highly skilled, dedicated, and resilient, and they deserve nothing less than our full support during this difficult time."

He also addressed the matter during Question Period in the House of Commons yesterday.

"The Liberals have sold out our autoworkers, so will the Prime Minister finally admit that he's lost control of the wheel and he's driving our autosector off the cliff?"

He also stated that he had already spoken with some of those affected.

"There is a real sence of anxiety in our community. The Liberals blew billions in EVs and now Canadian workers are the ones that are paying the price and their families. So will the Liberals finally hit the breaks and stop selling out Canadian workers?"

In response, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said the government is in talks with the automaker, the union and the province with a goal of bringing a new model to Ingersoll. She also said the government will continue to engage with the United States, saying this is all because of President Donald Trump's tariffs against the autosector.

In her own statement released yesterday, Unifor national president Lana Payne said Canadian autoworkers have to fight back. She also said the Canadian government should be ready to use counter tariffs against automakers, which they currently have a reprieve from if they maintain their footprint and employment in Canada.

During an interview with CPAC yesterday, Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie was asked if the dream of an EV future for Ingersoll was over. This is what he had to say in response.

"I don't know what the future of Ingersoll's production is, but I am hopeful that production will continue. If there is any bright moment in the announcement that came today, it's that the plant is not closing. It's just ceasing production on that vehicle, which to be honest the numbers speak for themselves because it has not sold well. But the workforce that we have here and they knowledge they have built up is very valuable and we know that there will be EVs in the future because people want them and they use them. We are prepared to be part of that or any other production that GM wants to bring here.

We will be posting an article with comment from Mike Van Boekel, the Plant Chair for Unifor Local 88 at CAMI, later this morning.

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