Auto insurance

Long before Canada signed the 1965 pact that eased the crossborder shipment of cars, our auto industry was defined by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Many Canadians believed what was good for the Big Three was good for the country. In 2004, Honda replaced Ford as our third-largest automaker. And the success of Japanese automakers here hasn’t led to a decline in the sector — it has led to greater success.

“We have no intention whatever of weakening our own domestic market to support automobile sales which are heavily subsidized and underwritten.”
Bill Davis, Ontario premier in 1980, calling for a ban on the sale of Russian Lada cars. Lada Canada replies they employ more than 500 at their “100% Canadian” firm

“This is a Canadian car. I know it is, because I built the bloody thing.”
Honda line worker in Alliston, Ont., in 1992, six years after the firm assembled its first cars by hand and in a shed

“The Americans would never dream of leaving this industry to chance.”
Buzz Hargrove, Canadian Auto Workers head, calling on the feds in 1999 to enact legislation to protect the Big Three in Canada from Japanese automakers

“We’ve had incredible success targeting offshore parts manufacturers and they’re coming to Canada, literally by the thousands of jobs.”
Dennis Desrosiers, automobile consultant, commenting on Canada’s auto assembly and parts industry in 2003, when jobs numbers hit all-time highs — spurred by growth at Japanese manufacturers

“They have Honda and Toyota.”
Haig Stoddard, manager of industry analysis at Ward’s Automotive, explaining why Ontario was poised to supplant Michigan as North America’s largest auto-producing region in 2004

Steve Brearton