Is your knowledge of Canada’s automotive industry up to date? The Trillium Network has crunched the numbers and reports on how vehicle production, assembly plant employment, and labour productivity have evolved since 2016. In this episode, the report’s authors, Brendan Sweeney and Greg Keenan, unpack the stats and discuss the driving forces behind them. They conclude with three policy recommendations that we hope to see in the federal government’s forthcoming automotive strategy.

00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Trillium Network’s New Automotive Industry Bulletin

01:34 Reasons Behind the Report's Timing

03:07 Key Findings on Vehicle Production

07:49 Impact on Employment and Productivity

12:58 Federal Automotive Strategy and Recommendations

17:02 Impact of Chinese Auto Imports and Consumer Choices

Read the Trillium Network Data Bulletin

1. The Road Behind Is Not the Road Ahead: What a Decade of Data Tells Us About Canada's Automotive Future https://trilliummfg.ca/data-bulletin/the-road-behind-is-not-the-road-ahead/

Find Out More About Trillium

1. Trillium website: trilliummfg.ca
2. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/trilliummfg
3. X/Twitter: x.com/TrilliumMfg
4. Instagram: instagram.com/trilliummfg
5. Facebook: facebook.com/trilliummfg
6. Old ‘Making it in Ontario’ Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/making-it-in-ontario-past

About the Making it in Ontario Podcast

Making it in Ontario is your window into what's next in manufacturing. Ontario’s economy depends on manufacturing, but the latest research reveals concerning trends that could undermine the sector’s strength—if we don’t address them. Join us as we talk to CEOs and other leaders at the forefront of the sector about productivity, strategy, talent markets and career opportunities, and the role of manufacturing in a prosperous and sustainable future.

This podcast is an initiative of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing. It is produced by Storied Places Media.

As Canada’s auto industry faces fresh uncertainty, an old story from New Brunswick suddenly feels very current. In this episode, host Brendan Sweeney and guest host Greg Keenan sit down with Dimitry Anastakis, a University of Toronto professor and the author of Dream Car, a book about the history of the New Brunswick-built Bricklin SV1. Dimitry details the fascinating yet tumultuous journey of the Bricklin in the 1970s, why it was a failure with important lessons, and how we can apply those lessons to the startup and sustainability of a Canadian car company today. Dimitry also reflects on the Trillium Network’s Shifting Gears report and shares his vision for what a uniquely Canadian car should look like.

00:00 Introduction and Previous Episode Recap

00:52 Introducing the Guest: Dimitry Anastakis

02:43 Dimitry's Background and Academic Journey

04:13 Writing ‘Dream Car’: More than a Simple Case Study

08:41 Why Dimitry Thinks a Canadian Car is Feasible

09:50 The Future of Canadian Car Manufacturing

15:44 The Challenge of Sustaining a Car Company

25:35 Parallels Between Bricklin and Tesla

30:26 Why Dimitry Was Less Pessimistic After Reading the Trillium Network’s Report

45:46 What Dimitry Thinks a Canadian Car Should Look Like

Read the Trillium Network Report

1. Shifting Gears: The Potential for a Canadian Car Company trilliummfg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/January-5-Shifting-Gears_TrilliumNetwork.pdf

Find Out More About Dimitry Anastakis

1. Dimitry Anastakis University of Toronto Profile history.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/dimitry-anastakis
2. Dream Car: Malcolm Bricklin’s Fantastic SV1 and the End of Industrial Modernity utppublishing.com/doi/book/10.3138/9781487555825#generate-pdf
3. The North American Auto Industry since NAFTA utorontopress.com/9781487527372/the-north-american-auto-industry-since-nafta

Find Out More About Trillium

1. Trillium website: trilliummfg.ca
2. Trillium GIS: trilliumgis.ca
3. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/trilliummfg
4. X/Twitter: x.com/TrilliumMfg
5. Instagram: instagram.com/trilliummfg
6. Facebook: facebook.com/trilliummfg
7. Old ‘Making it in Ontario’ Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/making-it-in-ontario-past

About the Making it in Ontario Podcast

Making it in Ontario

As we enter a new year where Canadian economic sovereignty is a top priority and our automotive industry faces an uncertain future, discussions have been heating up about the prospect of a truly Canadian car company. With insights from the report’s co-authors, Brendan Sweeney and Greg Keenan, this episode unpacks a new Trillium Network report that provides insight into the feasibility of a Canadian car company, who might be involved, and how Canada’s auto-making expertise could be turned into a commercially-viable OEM.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:58 Special Guest Host Introduction

03:14 Why a Canadian Car Company is a Hot Topic

06:54 Does Canada Already Have a Car Company?

16:59 Turning Auto-Making Expertise Into a Commercially-Viable OEM

26:05 How Governments Can Help

32:55 Likely Company Structure and Partners

40:23 Biggest Challenges

41:41 Leveraging Canada’s Strengths in Automation and Nuclear

Highlighted Links

1. Trillium Network: Shifting Gears: The Potential for a Canadian Car Company trilliummfg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/January-5-Shifting-Gears_TrilliumNetwork.pdf
2. Wired: That Disastrous Car Homer Simpson Designed Was Actually Ahead of Its Time

wired.com/2014/07/homer-simpson-car/

1. Magna Torrero: magna.com/company/company-information/facts-history/magna-torrero

Find Out More About Trillium

1. Trillium website: trilliummfg.ca
2. Trillium GIS: trilliumgis.ca
3. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/trilliummfg
4. X/Twitter: x.com/TrilliumMfg
5. Instagram: instagram.com/trilliummfg
6. Facebook: facebook.com/trilliummfg
7. Old ‘Making it in Ontario’ Episodes: https://soundcloud.com/making-it-in-ontario-past

About the Making it in Ontario Podcast

Making it in Ontario is your window into what's next in manufacturing. Ontario’s economy depends on manufacturing, but the latest research reveals concerning trends that could undermine the sector’s strength—if we don’t address them. Join us as we talk to CEOs and other leaders at the forefront of the sector about productivity, strategy, talent markets and career opportunities, and the role of manufacturing in a prosperous and sustainable future.

This podcast is an initiative of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing. It is produced by Storied Places Media.