Unifor National President Jerry Dias speaks during press conference asking for all Canadians and Americans to boycott all General Motors vehicles that are made in Mexico due to the recent news about the Oshawa General Motors plant closure in Toronto on Friday, January 25, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

Unifor National President Jerry Dias speaks during press conference asking for all Canadians and Americans to boycott all General Motors vehicles that are made in Mexico due to the recent news about the Oshawa General Motors plant closure in Toronto on Friday, January 25, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

General Motors disputes UNIFOR’s Super Bowl ad

GM announced last fall it will close its factory in Oshawa, Ont.

  • Feb. 3, 2019 12:00 a.m.

The Canadian subsidiary of General Motors is trying to stop an auto workers union from airing a critical TV commercial during the Super Bowl.

The 30-second ad calling the automaker greedy and “un-Canadian” is scheduled to broadcast on Canadian TV stations during Sunday’s game.

GM announced plans in November to close its car factory in Oshawa, Ont., costing the jobs of about 2,600 blue-collar workers.

The commercial accuses GM of continuing to expand in Mexico while leaving Canadians “out in the cold” and makes claims about the costs of a 2009 auto bailout.

GM sent a cease-and-desist letter to Unifor giving it a Saturday deadline to stop using the ad.

The company says in a statement that the ad is misleading and inaccurate.

The Associated Press

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