LONDON, Ont. — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh promised help for the Canadian auto sector Thursday as the industry faces 25 per cent U.S. tariffs.
The NDP is proposing to waive the GST on vehicles made in Canada and ensure the federal government, including agencies such as the RCMP, buy only Canadian automobiles.
“When we are purchasing vehicles at the federal level -- thinking about the RCMP fleet, thinking about Canada Post and the entire fleet -- we need to be buying entirely Canadian-made vehicles,” Singh said after a meeting with auto industry union leaders in Windsor, Ont.
The government could also protect Canadian jobs by banning companies from moving manufacturing equipment from auto plants here to the United States, he said.
“We invested massively in the automotive sector. I don’t want anyone in the automotive sector in the states to think that they can now just strip these factories of that equipment,” he said. “We’re going to use every tool possible -- make it illegal to take this equipment out of our country.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all cars imported into the U.S. starting next Thursday. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he has been assured that some imports from Canada may face lower duties due to the integrated nature of the North American auto industry.
Singh pivoted his campaign focus Thursday from London, Ont. to Windsor, after the latest tariffs were announced. Once he arrived in the city, he met with three Unifor presidents that represent various parts of the auto sector.
John D’Agnolo, Unifor Local 200 president, represents Ford employees and said that the uncertainty brought on by the tariffs is creating a lot of stress among workers.
He said that with the current cost of living, people would not be able get by on employment insurance, a maximum of 55 per cent of weekly earnings.
“We wouldn’t be able to afford our house. We wouldn’t even be able to afford rent. We have a young workforce today. You know what the cost of living is,” D’Agnolo said.
“It would decimate this community, and I never want to see that again. It breaks our heart.”
D’Agnolo was joined by Unifor’s Stellantis worker president James Stewart and auto parts sector president Emile Nabbout. The three talked about how previous slowdowns in the auto sector had a detrimental trickle-down effect in Windsor.
They fear assembly plant line shutdowns brought on by the tariffs could become permanent.
“You take auto out of Windsor, and then you look at all the other industries left. They’re all going to die,” Stewart said. “No one’s going to the casino if the community is not making money, no one’s going to restaurants. No one’s taking their kids to the Aerosports Trampoline Park when you’re not sure if you’re eating hotdogs next week, if you can afford hot dogs.”
While Singh made Windsor and the auto sector his focus Thursday, autoworkers did not entirely share the same enthusiasm.
The NDP leader stopped by a Stellantis owned Chrysler plant in Windsor Thursday afternoon to greet workers ending their shift. While some did stop to chat with Singh, shake his hand and snap a few photos, many walked right past him on their way out of the gates. A few could be heard saying they just wanted to get home.
A few had a more negative reaction to Singh, shouting out their support for the Conservatives and Pierre Poilievre. One walked by with an obscene hand gesture.
Singh had been calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to reconvene Parliament ahead of the election campaign to enhance employment insurance benefits due to the tariff threat.
The NDP leader said that a government he leads would increase the amount of money workers get through employment insurance.
Last week, Carney temporarily waived the one-week waiting period for laid-off workers to claim employment insurance.
By David Baxter, The Canadian Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.
