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TORONTO — In a rare sign of growth for the Canadian auto industry, Ford Motor Co. of Canada is adding more than 1,000 jobs even as its parent company slashes its profit forecast and recalls hundreds of thousands of vehicles.

Ford Canada is hiring more than 1,000 hourly workers as it ramps up for a new version of the Edge crossover utility vehicle that will be built on a global platform at its plant in Oakville, Ont., and sold in more than 100 countries.

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“The new 2015 Ford Edge sets a new standard in its class and will show countries around the world Canadian quality at its best,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president for the Americas, said in a release Wednesday.

“New jobs at Oakville Assembly will strengthen our investment in Canada and increase our capabilities as we gear up for one of the most anticipated launches at Ford.”

Ford Canada closed its plant in St. Thomas, Ont., in 2011, leaving only the assembly plant in Oakville and two engine plants in southern Ontario. It invested $700-million in the Oakville factory last year, including $140-million from the federal and Ontario governments, to prepare for the Edge and other new models. The jobs announced Wednesday will bring total employment at Ford Canada to about 7,000 by the end of the year.