Canada now needs a backup plan for our auto industry

Canada is, by far, the U.S. auto industry’s largest export market and the cross-border value chains have worked well for all three countries. So CUSMA may continue. But how far are we prepared to go at the expense of other sectors and regions in Canada?
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly speaks at Canada's Competition Summit in Ottawa on Oct. 1, 2025. If Canada is to participate in the auto industry of the future, it should strive to do so through proprietary, and increasingly digital technology of Canadian firms, writes David Crane.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
Opinion
BY DAVID CRANE
January 19, 2026

TORONTO—Canada’s automotive industry, which employs about 125,000 workers and is the bedrock employer in many communities across southern Ontario, is very much in the cross-hairs of United States President Donald Trump. So with negotiations about to begin on the future ...

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