As the Trump Administration continues its nonsensical tariff attack on Canada’s auto industry, it is becoming increasingly clear the only winner in this trade war is China.
asserted
winner → continue → war
News that Stellantis intends to build some electrified Jeep vehicles in China, with plans to export them around the world including Canada, is another gut punch to Unifor members at the Brampton Assembly Plant and the Canadian auto industry.
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Stellantis → intend → Plant
The Jeep announcement came quietly, on Sept. 24, delivered by Lü Haitao, the general manager of a joint venture between Stellantis and automaker Dongfeng, a Chinese partner.
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announcement → come → Stellantis
Reports suggest Chinese Jeep production will begin in 2027.
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production → suggest → 2027
Jeeps were to be built in Brampton
This decision fails on several fronts.
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decision → build → fronts
Stellantis’s idled Brampton Plant was slated to build the next-generation electric Jeep Compass for the North American market, employing tens of thousands of workers in Canada and across the continent.
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Plant → slat → continent
That’s before U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs hit Canada and before Stellantis tried to cut and run.
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Stellantis → ’ → Canada
The tragedy for North American autoworkers is not one of those electric Jeep Compass vehicles promised to Brampton, and subsequently promised to a plant in Illinois, are currently being built.
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one → promise → Illinois
And if I was placing a bet, I’d say they never will be.
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they → place → bet
Tariffs have eroded the business case to build affordable cars in North America.
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Tariffs → erode → America
At the same time, Trump’s climate policy rollbacks have weakened EV demand, encouraging automakers to pivot production to gas and diesel, just as his foreign wars are driving up fuel prices.
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wars → weaken → prices
By engaging in a pointless trade war, tens of thousands of potential jobs for Canadian and American autoworkers are lost — crushed by the uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs.
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thousands → engage → tariffs
In the end, guess who wins?
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who → guess → end
Rather than build electric Jeeps in Brampton, with component parts sourced throughout North America, the automakers would rather import these vehicles from Wuhan.
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automakers → build → Wuhan
It is very possible these China-made Jeeps won’t find their way into American showrooms, because the U.S. won’t allow it.
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U.S. → make → it
Prohibitive U.S. tariffs of more than 100 per cent on Chinese EVs remain in effect.
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tariffs → remain → effect
The U.S. is also implementing rules that ban advanced Chinese vehicle technology from entering the domestic market.
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that → implement → market
Both policies have merit and were initiated under the Biden Administration.
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policies → have → Administration
They were conceived alongside aggressive EV investment incentives to boost local production, support factory transitions and build the vehicles of the future, while guarding against China’s push to dominate global EV sales.
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They → conceive → sales
For a time, Canada supported this strategy to protect the North American and Canadian auto industry.
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Canada → support → industry
But then came Trump’s trade war and Canada shifted gears.
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Canada → come → gears
The federal government revised its auto strategy, attempting to move us closer to China.
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government → revise → China
Canada withdrew temporary import prohibitions and now allows for the purchase of an ever-increasing number of Chinese EVs.
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Canada → withdraw → EVs
All premised on the false hope we’d entice meaningful Chinese automotive investment here at home.
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we → premise → home
But anyone with knowledge of the global auto industry understands China has little incentive to invest.
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China → understand → incentive
Part of the reason EV Jeep production is being sourced to Wuhan is because China is looking to maximize its own oversized production capacity.
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China → source → capacity
To keep assembly plants running, Chinese automakers are looking to further boost exports.
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automakers → keep → exports
That doesn’t bode well for Canada, or any other automaking nation.
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That → bode → Canada
A fool’s game
Competing with China’s massive state subsidies, deeply guarded intellectual property, and objectionable labour standards, is a fool’s game.
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game → compete → subsidies
If the Stellantis-Dongfeng plan proceeds, Canadians might end up buying electric Jeeps made in China, while our union fights to prevent Stellantis from closing the Brampton plant that should have been building electric Jeeps for North America.
uncertain
that → proceed → America
Should China-made Jeeps land in Canadian showrooms, they will symbolize every industrial policy mistake that is undermining the success of North America’s auto sector, and its autoworkers, since Trump took office.
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Trump → make → office
While China takes a victory lap.
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China → take → lap
The Aporia
