Federal automotive strategy needs to reward Canadian production, report says

A report says Toyota and Honda made up about 60% of assembly plant employment in Canada at the end of 2024 and produced 77% of vehicles assembled in 2025; it notes Ford has delayed planned EV production and altered schedules at its Oakville plant.

A recent report says Canada's federal automotive strategy needs to reward production that occurs in the country. It highlights shifting patterns of assembly employment and vehicle output over the past decade. The report links those shifts to changes in production plans by several automakers. Those developments are discussed in the context of policy and global trade actions. Reported trends: - Toyota and Honda accounted for about 60 per cent of assembly plant employment in Canada at the end of 2024, up from roughly 40 per cent in 2015. - The two Japanese automakers produced 77 per cent of the vehicles assembled in Canada in 2025, up from 44 per cent about a decade earlier. - Ford retooled its Oakville, Ont., assembly plant, pushed back EV production that was slated for 2025 by two years, later changed plans, and is now working to start production of gasoline-powered pickup trucks later this year. - The report notes U.S.-based automakers have made numerous production changes in recent years, including some decisions after U.S. President Donald Trump reversed efforts to increase EV adoption and raised tariffs on imports. Summary: The report argues that recent production and employment shifts strengthen the case for a federal strategy that rewards vehicles and parts made in Canada. The changes described involve who builds vehicles in Canada and how production plans have been adjusted. Undetermined at this time.