For over a century, Oshawa, Ontario has embodied the working-class soul of the Canadian automotive industry. Museums, murals, and even the local hockey team — the Oshawa Generals, its name inspired by General Motors — bear witness to a history deeply rooted in the auto sector.

But Oshawa, forged by generations of General Motors workers, is facing an unprecedented threat. The cause, of course, the U.S. administration's 25-percent tariffs slapped on imported vehicles. Many workers believe the danger they pose is more serious than previous crises.

Auto production in Oshawa has seen its share of ups and downs. The hardest blow dates to 2019, when GM halted production for nearly two years, plunging thousands of families into uncertainty.

Today, even though the plant has been producing Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks again since 2021, the shadow of American tariffs hangs like a sword of Damocles. Jeff Gray, president of Local 222 of the Unifor workers’ union, sums up the situation as follows:

"This time, it's not a conventional battle. It's a fight against one man and his administration."

The link between Oshawa and the auto industry dates back to the late 19th century with the McLaughlin Carriage Company, which turned to producing cars in 1907. In 1918, it merged with Chevrolet Canada to form General Motors of Canada.

By the 1970s, the plant employed tens of thousands of people in the region. It was during this time that Lance Livingstone, like his father and brothers before him, went to work for GM. As he explained to Automotive News, “I was lucky to work in a good era. Today, the future is uncertain. I wouldn't want to be a young worker right now.”

Since the plant’s reopening in 2021, it has been running three shifts with around 3,000 employees. However, the diversity of models once produced has disappeared: only the Silverado now rolls off the assembly lines, at a rate of 660 units per day.

Ontario Provincial Member of Parliament Jennifer French of the NDP states that workers have always been able to adapt, but trade tensions with the U.S. introduce a new form of instability. “Political promises are no longer enough. Concrete action is needed. Oshawa cannot lose its industrial identity.”

And to succeed at that, the old qualities of resilience and solidarity are being evoked. The consensus in the industry is that dismantling the North American supply chain, even if the auto industry was prepared to undertake it, would take at least 10 years. That’s far longer than the U.S. administration envisages and wants to wait. But reality is what it is.

The U.S. tariffs are not just hitting revenue figures. They are shaking the social fabric of a city like Oshawa, where every car produced is the result of a deep heritage and commitment. The city's industrial history, etched in its walls and museums, may well become a political battleground once again.