Canadian Fords heading to the American market
Historically many "American" cars were built or assembled in Southern Ontario or Quebec in Canada. Because Canada has "free" government health-care for all residents, American car-makers used to find it cheaper to make cars in Canada, as they didn't need to pay for the expensive health-care benefits premiums as in the case for the American unionized workers.
The relative low exchange rate of the Canadian dollar was also another major factor.
In the past 15 years, however, the hourly wages of many American auto-workers have fallen so much that Canada has lost its cost benefits, and the Canadian auto industry has shrunk significantly and unlikely to recover in the near future.
Canadian Fords heading to the American market
Historically many "American" cars were built or assembled in Southern Ontario or Quebec in Canada. Because Canada has "free" government health-care for all residents, American car-makers used to find it cheaper to make cars in Canada, as they didn't need to pay for the expensive health-care benefits premiums as in the case for the American unionized workers.
The relative low exchange rate of the Canadian dollar was also another major factor.
In the past 15 years, however, the hourly wages of many American auto-workers have fallen so much that Canada has lost its cost benefits, and the Canadian auto industry has shrunk significantly and unlikely to recover in the near future.