International trade

TORONTO—As Canadian workers mark one year of economic disruption and job losses triggered by U.S. tariffs targeting Canada’s auto industry and other key sectors, Unifor is escalating the union’s clear demand to corporate and government decision-makers: “Sell Here. Build Here.”

“The last twelve months saw workers in trade exposed industries go through hell. We’ve witnessed job loss and workers left in limbo as Trump continues to hammer our economy,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. 

This week marks one year since the United States imposed 25% tariffs on the import of Canadian autos, one of the most damaging measures in a series of escalating trade attacks by U.S. President Donald Trump on Canadian workers and industries.

The auto tariffs struck at the heart of Canada’s manufacturing economy, threatening tens of thousands of good-paying jobs and disrupting an integrated North American supply chain.

For more than a year, Canadian workers have been on the front lines of Donald Trump’s trade war and the damage it has caused across key sectors of our economy.

OSHAWA–Workers at the General Motors Oshawa Assembly Complex will report for the final third shift today, as the company eliminates more than 700 direct jobs with hundreds of additional jobs lost at supply chain companies. The job cuts come in the same week GM reported more than $12 billion in pre-tax earnings for 2025, along with a plan to boost shareholders earnings through dividend increases and a $6 billion share buyback.

Unifor took to Parliament Hill to push MPs from all sitting parties to enact worker’s demands to Protect Canadian Jobs, as U.S. imposed tariffs continue to put Canadian jobs and entire communities at risk across the country.

During the union’s federal lobby week, Unifor leadership, including national officers, National Executive Board members and local leaders sat down to share their experiences in workplaces and industries at risk, and to push for urgent action. 

Hundreds of members gathered at the Unifor Local 1285 hall on February 19 to hear an update on the union’s push to reopen the idled Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant.

Unifor Local 1285 President Vito Beato opened the meeting with a message of resolve, vowing to hold the company accountable.

TORONTO- The U.S. Supreme Court ruling to strike down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) represents a legal rebuke of presidential overreach but does nothing to resolve the ongoing trade crisis threatening Canadian jobs and key industrial sectors.

TORONTO– Unifor welcomes measures in the new federal auto policy to map the direction of industry, with the understanding that this plan must be backed by bold action to safeguard Canadian auto jobs and ensure a future for autoworkers at idled plants in both Brampton and Ingersoll. 

“We need a strategy that reassures workers that automaking has a future in Canada, regardless of U.S. trade attacks,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. 

Lana Payne outlined Unifor’s position on imports of made-in-China EV imports, calling for action to protect Canadian autoworkers.

TORONTO–The Canadian government’s decision to open the door to China-owned EV imports poses extreme risk to Canadian auto jobs and the future of our entire auto sector. 

“This is a self-inflicted wound to an already injured Canadian auto industry,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Providing a foothold to cheap Chinese EVs, backed by massive state subsidies, overproduction and designed to expand market share through exports, puts Canadian auto jobs at risk while rewarding labour violations and unfair trade practices.”