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TORONTO—Unifor welcomes the $2.5 billion investment from the federal and Ontario governments to support the country’s auto industry hit hard by the ongoing U.S. trade war on Canada and is urging government to focus on sustaining threatened auto assembly operations in Brampton.
“Our auto sector and the workers who depend on it have been directly targeted by the Trump administration. Support by both the federal and Ontario governments is essential to see workers and the industry through this crisis,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Today’s announcement must propel both governments to address the most pressing challenge right now, and that’s to stop the closure and sale of Brampton Assembly plant and preserve auto assembly and the jobs that it that supports.”
Contract talks between Unifor and Stellantis are at an impasse, in part, over the company’s intent to sell the plant to a defence contractor, ending vehicle production in Brampton and affecting thousands of workers in the local supply chain. In these talks, the union is also focused on ensuring Canada’s auto production footprint by securing a strong, sustainable future for Stellantis’ Windsor and Etobicoke plants.
Unifor continues to remind government that a solution is also needed for the idled General Motors CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.
The funding, announced as part of a joint Canada-Ontario action plan, is designed to help automakers invest in modern machinery and upgraded production lines to strengthen the sector amid tariff turmoil.
“We view this as a vote of confidence in our domestic auto sector that employs half a million Canadian workers,” said Payne. “It also reinforces a critical message: there is a future for auto manufacturing in Canada, and we must continue to fund it and fight for it.”
The union is calling for public investments to be paired with enforceable commitments. Multi-billion-dollar funding agreements with automakers must come with strict, long-term guarantees for Canadian production and jobs to prevent investment and manufacturing capacity from moving elsewhere.
Unifor is further calling on the federal government to strengthen its auto industrial strategy by prioritizing Canadian manufacturing, protecting good-paying jobs and securing future production. Policies should reward automakers that invest in Canada, rather than subsidize vehicles built offshore with little or no Canadian content. The union continues to urge the government to reconsider its stance on Chinese electric vehicle imports and focus on building a competitive domestic EV supply chain.
“Canada’s auto strategy must be measured by the jobs it protects, the investments it secures and the manufacturing future it builds here at home,” said Payne. “Public funding must deliver public benefits and that means good jobs, strong communities and a viable future for auto manufacturing in Canada.”
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
For media inquiries or to arrange interviews please contact Unifor Communications Director Kathleen O’Keefe at @email or by cell at (416) 896-3303.
