The Canadian Automotive Industry

From the back cover: In this study, economist Ross Perry shows that all indicators point to a further restriction in the Canadian auto industry, resulting in further shrinkage of employment and the possibility of a major deterioration in the country's balance of payments. While the objective of the Auto Pact and Canadian automotive trade policy has always been job creation, Perry concludes that it will be increasingly difficult for the Canadian industry to be both viable and to generate jobs for the industrial heartland of Southern Ontario. Perry examines areas of specialization where Canada, with its advantages in energry-intensive products, could be competitive in the world market, and he outlines the two basic options for national policymakers - restructuring the industry for viability or resisting its decline.

Autonomous State provides the first detailed examination of the Canadian auto industry, the country's most important economic sector, in the post-war period. In this engrossing book, Dimitry Anastakis chronicles the industry's evolution from the 1973 OPEC embargo to the 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and looks at its effects on public policy, diplomacy, business enterprise, workers, consumers, and firms. Using an immense array of archival sources, and interviews with some of the key actors in the events, Anastakis examines a fascinating array of topics in recent auto industry and Canadian business and economic history: the impact of new safety, emissions, and fuel economy regulations on the Canadian sector and consumers, the first Chrysler bailout of 1980, the curious life and death of the 1965 Canada-US auto pact, the 'invasion' of Japanese imports and transplant operations, and the end of aggressive auto policy-making with the coming of free trade. More than just an examination of the auto industry, the book provides a rethinking of Canada's tumultuous post-OPEC political and economic evolution, helping to explain the current tribulations of the global auto sector and Canada's place within it.

Analyzes the performance of the industry after the North American Free-Trade Agreement took effect, in each of the three countries and on the continent as a whole. Also looks at the impact of environmental regulations. The studies were funded by automobile companies and reviewed by personnel representing them. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR