Investing.com -- The planned reduction of General Motors’ (NYSE:GM) Canadian operations took effect Friday as the company eliminated a production shift in Oshawa. According to reporting from CBC News, the transition to a two-shift model puts up to 1,200 regional jobs at risk. General Motors confirmed to CBC on Thursday that approximately 500 of the affected individuals are direct employees of the firm. “We did everything we could … we’ve made our arguments to General Motors,” said Jeff Gray, Unifor Local 222 president. Related articlesGM cuts Oshawa shift as 1,200 autoworkers face layoffs - CBC NewsU.S. trade deficit nearly doubles in NovemberGold and auto slumps drive Canada’s trade deficit to $2.2 billion