Paccar will lay off 175 workers at its Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec plant on 4 August, adding to 250 positions eliminated in December as the Kenworth truck maker grapples with declining demand. Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector labour union, attributed the cuts to “an uncertain economic climate, exacerbated in part by US tariffs” in a statement.
The facility, which manufactures light- and medium-duty trucks primarily for export to the US, has seen daily production fall from 90 trucks to 60 by end-June, with further reduction to 50 trucks daily planned for August. Plant head Steve Anctil told La Presse that production has dropped approximately 50% over the past year. The plant currently employs between 900 and 1,000 workers. Part of Quebec production will transfer to US facilities.
Unifor has called on Canadian governments to implement measures supporting the local purchase of Canadian-made trucks. However, the issues extend beyond trade disputes: North American Class 8 truck orders fell 32% year-on-year as a whole in June.
