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Unifor’s Auto Council and Independent Parts Suppliers Council, representing 37,000 autoworkers across Canada, condemn the unjust imposition and ongoing threat of tariffs, by the United States, on Canadian goods.
At a special joint meeting, Council delegates adopted a zero-tolerance position on U.S. tariffs and threats to Canadian jobs and Canadian sovereignty.
This position commits the full resources of our respective local unions and the National Union to take direct action, to support Canadian jobs, by whatever means necessary.
The Auto Council and IPS Council urge the Federal Government to continue employing aggressive retaliatory tariff and non-tariff responses, until all unjust tariffs are revoked permanently and unequivocally.
The Councils also urge the Federal and Provincial Governments to exercise their authority to stop the relocation of any machinery, equipment or other property purchased by automakers with public funds, including Special Contribution Agreements, subsidies, Investment Tax Credits, or other measures.
The Federal Government must be prepared to use statutory powers to prohibit the importation of any vehicle or automotive good identified as having relocated from Canada because of unjust and illegal tariffs, among other penalties.
The threat to Canadian jobs and Canadian sovereignty by the Trump Administration is unacceptable. The severe 25% tariffs on Canadian goods issued by the United States on March 4, would have single-handedly shut down the North American auto industry within days, putting millions of workers out of work.
The temporary pause granted to the auto industry is insufficient and is not supported by Canadian autoworkers.
Until there is a full and unequivocal lifting of these unjust, punitive and illegal tariffs, on all Canadian goods, Unifor Auto and IPS Councils oppose this Trump policy, and stand in full solidarity with Canadian workers.
Trump officials attempting to justify these tariffs on the grounds of stopping illegal migration and the cross-border flow of fentanyl from Canada is both shameful and knowingly false. The Trump Administration’s constantly shifting rationale for these tariffs is absurd.
The false pretense for this tariff action is a violation of trust between two ally countries, and a violation of law. Additional U.S. tariffs expected in the coming weeks and months, are intended to steal away jobs and investment. This abhorrent and extortionist behaviour is not tolerated by our union.
Canada is a major automaking nation. We have been an automaking nation for more than 100 years – long before the U.S. was a major trading partner.
Our industry is a mainstay of the economy. It is a source of national identity and pride. Generations of Canadian autoworkers, through our union, fought to win decent work and strong wages, setting the highest standards and expectations for industrial workplaces everywhere.
Donald Trump wants to “take back” jobs in the auto sector that aren’t his to take. The United States has no claim to our jobs, or our auto industry.
Canadians purchase approximately 2 million new vehicles per year, yet our factories currently produce far less than that.
Our principles are clear: if firms want to sell here, they must build here. Tariffs, or no tariffs.
That position is unwavering and will guide the Auto and IPS Councils sector strategies, policies and actions moving forward.
