Labour leaders are urging the federal government to act swiftly after the shutdown of Stellantis’s Windsor Assembly Plant on Monday, a move triggered by newly imposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles.
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) said the closure, which affects thousands of workers, is just the beginning of a broader crisis that could ripple across the country’s manufacturing sector.
“Workers across the country are worried about their future and their jobs, and they are looking for a national response as bold as the threat we face,” said Bea Bruske, president of the CLC, during a rally at Assumption North Park in Windsor.
Tariffs seen as threat to half a million jobs
The shutdown follows a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian autos introduced by the U.S. administration under former president Donald Trump. The CLC called the tariffs a direct attack on more than 500,000 Canadian jobs.
Bruske and Siobhán Vipond, the CLC’s executive vice-president, joined local labour leaders and workers to call for an urgent national strategy to support affected employees and stabilize industries at risk.
Bruske said immediate reforms to Employment Insurance (EI), relief from banks and financial institutions, and targeted industrial investments are critical to supporting displaced workers.
“Overnight, thousands of workers lost paycheques. Canadian workers should never be collateral damage in a political power play,” she said.
Labour movement outlines four-point recovery plan
The CLC outlined several proposals, including lowering EI qualification thresholds, using government purchasing power to sustain union jobs, expanding domestic green industries tied to fair wages and training, and clamping down on corporate profiteering to fund public services.
“We’re not going to let workers bear the brunt of this alone,” said Vipond. “We’ve done our part. Now it’s time for the government—and corporate Canada—to do theirs.”
The CLC is urging Ottawa to adopt these measures immediately to safeguard Canada’s industrial base and prevent further job losses.
