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Unifor leadership led more than 1,500 members and supporters as they rallied at the union’s Constitutional Convention in downtown Vancouver to stand up for Canadian workers.
“We are going to do whatever it takes to protect Canadian jobs from destruction from Donald Trump,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“He wants to steal our jobs, to take our critical resources and undermine our democracy and our very sovereignty and he still sees us as the 51st state. This is the fight of our lives. And I want to be very clear – Trump will not win.”
Rally speakers called for action to safeguard industries threatened by ongoing tariffs from the Trump administration, and to fight for a vision where Canada can steer and protect its economic future.
Chanting “Protect Canadian jobs,” the delegates gathered outside the Vancouver Convention Centre to demand the federal government stop backpedaling on retaliatory tariffs on the United States and that all levels of government do everything in their power to defend Canada’s workers.
The impacts are already being felt across the country, with thousands of Unifor members facing layoffs. These tariffs put jobs at risk in every sector and every industry. This is a fight for every Canadian worker.
“We will never accept Trump, with his mania and authoritarianism, to kill our country. It’s up to workers again to save our country and to fight, with our sweat, tears and blood,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier.
Mark Hancock, Canadian Union of Public Employees National President, offered his full support to Unifor during this trade war.
“Even though we’re primarily private sector, there is no doubt that every step of the way, when you take on that President Trump, when you take on tariffs, when you stand up for Canadian jobs, we will be standing side-by-side with you,” he said.
At the rally, Unifor Auto Council Chair John D’Agnolo reminded President Trump that 2025 is the 60th anniversary of the Auto Pact both countries shared – for every vehicle bought in Canada, automakers had to build one in Canada, and that rich history cannot be severed overnight.
“You cannot disconnect 60 years of supply chains overnight,” said D’Agnolo. “You can’t attack Canada without major economic pain on both sides of the border. All those engines we build, and I have approximately 1,800 workers in my facilities – it provides 15,000 jobs in the U.S., so you think about that.”
Unifor Forestry Council Chair Stéphane Lefebvre said there are 200,000 forestry workers across the country, whose union jobs support hundreds of thousands of other jobs and keeps communities thriving. But the industry requires vision and strategy from all governments to lead it.
“The U.S. needs Canadian lumber and more importantly, we need Canadian lumber,” he said. “Canada is blessed with an abundance of this renewable resource and with responsible forest management, we can get out of this. We just need (government) vision and strategy.”
Following the rally, delegates listened to a panel on how to protect Canada’s economy moving forward, where CUPE’s Mark Hancock, FTQ President Magali Picard, and Senator Hassan Yussuff, a retired Unifor staff member who formerly served as President of the Canadian Labour Congress, weighed in, moderated by Jim Stanford, former Senior Economist and Director of Policy for Unifor and current Director of the Centre for Future Work.
Unifor Research Director Angelo DiCaro outlined the union’s innovative vision of Charting a New Path for Canada’s Economy.
This new economic vision for Canada must defend Canada’s national interest, develop democratic industrial strategies, promote union jobs, and pursue a fair-trade agenda,
The country must also invest in public services and universal programs, enabling Canadian ownership and control, and building skills and fostering security for the future economy.
“We have no choice but to defend Canada’s interests in the upcoming six-year CUSMA review,” said DiCaro.
“A more independent and prosperous Canada must advance its role in value chains. We are not going to become the resource warehouse for the United States of America or to the rest of the world. And to do that, our key industries must be rooted in Canada, not controlled or sold by foreign investors.”
With his family sitting among the Unifor Convention delegates, Rob Giroux accepted the 2025 Bud Jimmerfield Award, recognizing his decades of activism and commitment to advancing worker health and safety.
“It means a lot to me, being here,” said Giroux. “I really encourage everybody, find room to bargain health and safety, because we never know when it can be taken away.”
