NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made an unscheduled campaign stop in Windsor on Thursday, pivoting his strategy as soon as news of the latest wave of Trump’s tariffs came down the pipe.
Singh’s visit underscored the vulnerability of Windsor’s economy and the urgent need for a unified Canadian response to threats on jobs, particularly those in the auto sector.
Singh’s whirlwind tour included meetings with Unifor, where he pledged support for the sector.
John D’Agnolo of Local 200 highlighted the interconnectedness of the Canadian and US auto industries, “15,000 workers are impacted by the engines we build. Less than 2,000 workers in one plant support 15,000 workers in the US.”
James Stewart of Local 444 echoed these sentiments, “We have lost jobs just as much as the United States,” he stated. “We’re not the jurisdiction that stole jobs.”
Singh also proposed a “Buy Canadian” auto campaign, resurrecting the idea of an Auto Pact, a previously floated agreement requiring automakers to build vehicles in Canada to sell within the country.
More broadly, Singh says that every Canadian political party needs to stand united against the threat from the United States.
“When it comes to the way we approach Donald Trump,” Singh stated, “We need to have a common united voice no matter what the makeup of Parliament is. We need to send a clear message, all political leaders that together, all of us denounce the illegal attacks on our country.”
While union leaders expressed concerns about the future of their members and the damaging rhetoric surrounding Canada-US relations, many autoworkers at Windsor Assembly Plant largely ignored Singh during an afternoon shift change. Some even heckled him over past political decisions.
