Automotive News Canada - December 2020 - v2 - 22

* D E C E M B E R 2 020

2020 ALL-STARS

INDUSTRY
DIVERSITY

COLIN
JAMES

OUTGOING PRESIDENT,
UNIFOR LOCAL 222

o succeed on the shop floor, a union leader must be both forceful and respectful.
For Colin James, those same qualities are
necessary to combat the systemic racism so
many minorities face daily.
" It will only stop when we all treat each
other as we want to be treated and call out
those individuals when they cross that line, "
James told fellow autoworkers in a post
spurred by Black Lives Matter protests.
James, 59, who retired in December after 40
years at GM's Oshawa Assembly Plant - four
of them as the first person of colour to head
Unifor's Local 222 - has helped drive progress
in diversifying the workforce and combatting discrimination. But for further positive
change, " we need to push the agenda. "
Unifor did just that in its 2020 bargaining,
winning agreements for the addition of " racial
justice advocates " at the Detroit Three's
Canadian plants. For a job description, they
need look no further than Colin James.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

TIM REUSS

CEO, CANADIAN AUTOMOBILE
DEALERS ASSOCIATION

oordinating a response to a pandemic and sharp economic downturn wasn't
on Tim Reuss' agenda when he took over as the
Canadian Automobile Dealers Association's CEO
in 2019.
But ensuring dealerships survive the crisis
has been his top priority for much of his first full
year on the job. And the CADA has tackled the
pandemic from many angles, displaying flexibility in an industry known for being slow to adapt.
In the immediate aftermath of government-mandated economic shutdowns in the
spring, Reuss and the CADA were some of the
loudest advocates for dealers, successfully arguing to policymakers that dealerships should be
considered essential businesses.
Drawing on work done by dealer associations
in Quebec and the United States, the CADA pub-

INDUSTRY REBIRTH

VIC FEDELI

ONTARIO MINISTER OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
JOB CREATION AND TRADE

LABOUR TURNAROUND

JERRY DIAS

NATIONAL PRESIDENT, UNIFOR

or Unifor's Jerry Dias, the year could not
have looked more dismal: Fiat Chrysler
Automobiles had cut a shift at the Windsor
minivan plant; Ford's Oakville plant
appeared to be on borrowed time with no
product plans past the current Edge utility
vehicle; and GM's Oshawa Assembly powerhouse almost overnight had become a minor
stamping operation for the aftermarket.
And the union's contracts with the
Detroit Three were set to expire in
September.
Then in three quick months, everything
changed. New labour deals, netting almost
$5 billion in investments with the Detroit
Three in Canada, were signed. Ford and
FCA announced plans for electric-vehicle
production, while GM, amazingly, said it
would return truck assembly to Oshawa.
Dias credits the turnaround to cooperation
between the federal and Ontario governments
in committing public funds to the EV transformation. Others, though, cite the union leader's
acumen in using long-nurtured political ties to
spur the government support.
Even Dias, 62, known for his tough,
straight-shooting bargaining style, showed a
rare smile. " People are feeling pretty damn
good, for good reasons. And frankly I'm not
feeling all that bad myself. "

lished comprehensive safety guidelines for dealerships in April that were crucial to helping raise
health standards nationwide.
The group's advocacy has extended through
the rest of the year, with Reuss being one of the
industry's most vocal proponents of the government's emergency wage subsidy.
The CADA's work is likely to continue into
2021 in advocating for a scrappage program,
which the association hopes will spur new-vehicle demand post-pandemic.

Vic Fedeli prospects in
Ontario's Temagami gold fields.
PHOTO VIA VIC FEDELI

SHOWING CANADA'S CLOUT

NAVDEEP
BAINS
FEDERAL MINISTER

OF INNOVATION,
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

e might be known as an even-tempered consensus-builder, but don't
underestimate his clout. Navdeep Bains'
name appears alongside such figures as
Virgin's Richard Branson on LinkedIn's list
of Global Influencers.
In 2020, Bains reached out to Ford of Canada
head Dean Stoneley and global CEO Jim Farley,
and the result could have as profound an impact
as the 1965 Auto Pact. Convinced of Canada's sup-

ic Fedeli holds a prospector's licence and in
spare moments likes to pan for gold in Northern
Ontario. But the Ontario economic development
minister's big strike came in September with the
news that Ford Motor Co. will convert its Oakville,
Ont., plant into a hub for electric vehicle production. Now, Ontario has a stake in the global EV
revolution, assuring assembly jobs and opening
rich possibilities for the province's technology and
resource sectors.
Finding that mother lode was no accident.
Fedeli and Premier Doug Ford have worked to cut
red tape and electricity costs for manufacturers
and sell U.S. companies on the benefits of Ontario's
skilled workforce and tech prowess. Close cooperation with the federal government during the pandemic helped Ontario quickly sign on to a combined $590 million in support to win the $1.8-billion
investment.
The COVID-19 crisis has kept the 64-year-old former mayor of North Bay, Ont., away from the
creeks this year, but not from his shining moment.

port for green technology, the automaker committed to build electric vehicles
in Ontario in a $1.8-billion investment
believed to have been first slated for
Mexico.
The Ford decision, followed
by news of investments by Fiat
Chrysler and General Motors,
didn't just reverse the long
decline in Canada's vehicle
production. It put the country
in the front ranks of a transforming global transportation industry and could jumpstart battery production with
Canadian-mined resources.
Characteristically, Bains, 43,
the Toronto-born son of Sikh immigrants and forever the team player,
downplays his role. " At the end of it, the government wants to be a meaningful partner - a true
partner - as we talk about investment moving
forward, " he said.

Automotive News Canada - December 2020 - v2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - December 2020 - v2