General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC said they won't need to close any additional plants in Canada under restructuring plans they submitted to the Canadian government Friday.
GM and Canada didn't specify how much in loans the two automakers would request from the Canadian government.
GM's request would depend upon negotiations with the Canadian Auto Workers, and how much the U.S. government lends to the two companies, GM Canada spokesman David Paterson said.
Canada accounts for about 20% of North American production and wants to maintain that share, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement said Friday.
"The first thing we are doing in our plan is to further reduce our costs in Canada so we can reduce the assistance we need," Paterson said.
The Canadian government already has pledged $4 billion to the two automakers.
Clement told reporters in Toronto the federal government and Ontario may contribute between $6 billion Canadian -- $4.8 billion in U.S. dollars and $7 billion Canadian ($5.6 billion) to GM's aid package.
GM's plan is a "good first step," Clement said. The government will evaluate the request along with the company's plans for Canada "and we'll be having that discussion over the next month or so," he said.
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