Toronto, Ontario -- Unifor is warning Canadian auto workers that U.S. tariffs threaten jobs, production and investment in the country’s manufacturing sector.
Speaking during an August 15 webinar, Unifor president Lana Payne calls the situation “the fight of our lives” as tariffs of up to 50 percent on steel, aluminum and copper and 25 percent on vehicles and parts take effect. She says the measures, imposed under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, are structured to push production south of the border.
”This is the fight of our lives, [and] we may need to be prepared to lay it all on the line,” Payne says. “There is so much at stake right now and at risk. We’re up against a U.S. President who has been very clear about what he wants – he wants auto jobs and is willing to use extortion and threats on a daily basis to get them. And it is us -- collectively -- that is standing in his way.”
Stellantis has already delayed electric vehicle retooling at its Brampton plant, slowed Windsor operations and postponed a third shift. General Motors has announced job and production cuts in Oshawa and Ingersoll.
Unifor is calling on the federal government to use its $2-billion Strategic Response Fund to stabilize the sector, impose counter-tariffs on U.S.-built vehicles and ensure that automakers benefiting from exemptions maintain Canadian workforce and investment commitments.
The union will also launch the second phase of its Protect Canadian Jobs campaign this fall, with rallies planned in auto towns across the country.
Unifor research director Angelo DiCaro warns that tariff threats may soon expand beyond autos to heavy trucks, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, aircraft, drones, wood products and critical minerals.
