All the Canadian plants of the U.S. Big-3 automakers will shut down temporarily in January, the president of the Canadian Auto Workers union said on Friday.

The plants will be closed for different periods of time through December and January, said Ken Lewenza, adding the temporary layoffs are "a result of declining sales in the United States."

General Motors has 12,574 active workers in Canada, Chrysler LLC has 7,865 and Ford Motor Co. has 7,402.

The news came as Canada's Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he is still open to helping the Canadian auto industry, although the U.S. Senate rejected a 14-billion-U.S.-dollar bailout package for the Big-three on Thursday.

"Our government is open to helping the industry. This is a day- by-day thing, obviously, in terms of developments in the United States," said Flaherty in Saint John in New Brunswick Province.

"We'll continue to stay close to the situation there and continue the discussions with the industry here. This is an important sector clearly in the Canadian economy, not only the Detroit Three but also the very important parts sector in Canada. Canada has some of the major players in the world in automotive parts," the minister added.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2008)