Canada’s automotive industry has been in decline for twenty-five years, and the first argument in this conversation is that the name itself is part of the problem.

Canada does not own a car company. It holds about ten percent of North American auto sales, gets told what to build and when, and sits in what researchers describe as the peripheral tier, caught between countries that own the patents and countries that offer cheaper labour.

The lesson from the eighties is still available. Canada once partnered with Japan when Japan led the industry. China holds that position now, and the patent gap makes the case clearly.

Topics: Canada automotive industry, Canadian auto workers, China patents, automotive future, CUSMA

GUEST: Lorraine Sommerfeld | Driving

Originally aired on2026-05-25