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Unifor National President Lana Payne and Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi updated members in Ontario on the union’s ongoing efforts to combat tariffs at Unifor’s Ontario Town Hall meeting on April 17.
Unifor National President Lana Payne provided members with an update on how the union has been aggressively responding to Trump’s tariffs, including demanding protections for Canadian jobs and workers with all levels of government, her role on the prime minister’s advisory council, and ongoing meeting with premiers as well as Prime Minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney.
She said that to get through these tough times, workers are going to need to stand together.
“We have a fight on our hands,” said Payne. “This union understands how to fight and how to pull together when we face crises. We’ve faced many before and we’ll face this one head-on and with the leadership you deserve.”
“We’re dealing with a trade war we didn’t ask for. We’re watching as jobs in vital sectors like auto, manufacturing, media, retail, energy, and forestry are being threatened by horrible policy,” said Hashi.
“And we’re fighting to ensure that workers are front and centre in our Team Canada fightback.”
Hashi commended Payne’s leadership, boosting Unifor to the forefront of Canada’s response to Trump’s unjust tariffs.
“Meetings like this are where we draw the map for how we’re going to win big fights —together,” said Hashi.
Hashi has been visiting members as part of a provincial health care and social services tour, with stops in Windsor, Chatham, and Port Elgin, where frontline workers shared firsthand perspectives on the staffing crisis, the delays in implementing the four-hour standard of care, and the sheer exhaustion that so many of them are feeling.
Payne has been a prominent fixture in Canadian media, speaking to the need for retaliatory tariffs, enhanced income supports for workers, and defending sectors that are under attack, including forestry, auto and steel and aluminum. The union has been advocating for made-in-Canada procurement strategies to create jobs and build a more resilient economy.
Trump’s constant policy changes and tariff threats, and their ensuing confusion and uncertainty, have the potential to cause irreparable damage to the Canadian economy.
Payne said Canadians are already experiencing the impacts of tariffs – layoffs, plant closures and intimidation tactics designed to move production and work out of Canada.
Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer Len Poirer said he was proud of the members for being leaders in their workplaces and communities “and bringing this very important issue [of tariffs] to the forefront, especially as we’re leading into this national election.”
Payne urged members to get involved with the Unifor Votes campaign and elect leaders with the courage to protect Canadian jobs on election day, April 28.
To stay up to date on what Unifor is doing to counter tariffs, visit the union’s Protect Canadian Jobs website and take the Made-in-Canada pledge to receive a list of Unifor-made products and services.
