Trump’s words are not mere political theatre. They are policy. They are a vision for an America-first industrial economy that sees even close allies like Canada as competitors rather than collaborators. The implications are enormous — and Canada must now face that reality without illusions or nostalgia.

The “Made in America” doctrine, strengthened through aggressive tariff regimes and manufacturing incentives, effectively declares that any automobile built outside the United States — no matter how close to Detroit — is a lost opportunity for American workers. It’s the same philosophy that drove Trump to renegotiate NAFTA into the USMCA, a deal that tilted production requirements further toward the U.S.

Stellantis, one of the world’s largest automakers, has long operated facilities in Ontario, but its commitment to Canada has wavered amid global realignments and political uncertainty. The company’s decision to pause construction of its Windsor battery plant earlier in 2023 sent shockwaves through the industry. Although the project was later revived after Ottawa scrambled to match U.S. subsidies, the episode exposed Canada’s vulnerability — a reminder that even a multibillion-dollar project can be disrupted overnight when competing against the gravitational pull of the American manufacturing machine, only to announce full pullout as of this week.

Then there’s General Motors, which shuttered its Oshawa plant in 2019, citing “global restructuring.” The official line avoided politics, but the underlying reality was unmistakable: the U.S. market demanded production closer to home, and Trump’s nationalist rhetoric gave political cover to that shift. That plant, once the heart of GM Canada, employed thousands. It has since reopened at a fraction of its former capacity — primarily producing trucks and parts rather than full vehicle lines.

Ford, too, has trimmed Canadian operations, diverting future investments toward Michigan and Ohio. Toyota and Honda, while maintaining facilities in Ontario, have slowed expansion in Canada as uncertainty grows around cross-border trade stability. Meanwhile, newer entrants in the electric vehicle space — Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla — are building massive U.S.-based gigafactories rather than sharing capacity north of the border.

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