GM Defence workers sent home because of security risk

U.S. government says workers at London, Ont. plant who hold citizenship outside Canada must be screened

About 175 employees were sent home from a GM plant in London, Ont. that makes vehicles for the U.S. military on Tuesday because of security concerns.

The workers at the GM Defence plant were sent home with pay because of their citizenship. The U.S. government has said only Canadian and American citizens can work in the plant without going through a security screening process. People who hold a dual citizenship in other countries must be screened first.

CAW president Buzz Hargrove was outraged by the move.

“It’s another attack on our sovereignty and I believe our government, given what has happened here, has an obligation to step in and defend each and every one of these people, who are Canadian citizens,” Hargrove told CBC news.

The U.S. put the rules in place before Sept. 11, but GM is enforcing them now because of new legal advice. GM said no one at the Ontario plant has been identified as a security risk. Once the workers clear a security check, they’ll be allowed to return to the job.

The plant has a $6 billion contract to build 2,000 light armoured vehicles for the U.S. military.

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