OTTAWA -- A top Chrysler official issued a grim threat to Canadian lawmakers, warning the struggling U.S. automaker may shut down its plants in Canada if it doesn't get significant labor concessions and government aid, according to The Associated Press.

"Chrysler LLC cannot afford to manufacture products in a jurisdiction that is uncompetitive, relative to other jurisdictions," president Tom LaSorda told a Parliamentary committee Wednesday night.

Chrysler's labor costs in Canada work out to about 20 dollars an hour more than automakers like Toyota and Honda, LaSorda told the committee.