International trade

“Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada’s auto, steel, aluminum and forestry sectors are hitting workers in real time,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Walking back counter-tariffs is not an olive branch—it’s an open invitation for more U.S. aggression. It sends the wrong signal at the worst possible moment.”

From the outset of this trade war, Unifor has been clear: Canada’s leverage must be used to defend Canadian jobs—not bargained away without reciprocity.

Canadian auto workers are banding together and strategizing as sweeping tariffs from the United States on Canadian vehicles, parts, and raw materials threaten tens of thousands of jobs and billions in manufacturing investment.

In an Aug. 15 national webinar on auto tariffs, Unifor President Lana Payne told auto sector members that the union’s position is clear: If you sell in Canada, you must build in Canada.

“We have been clear that a bad deal, that legitimizes tariffs with the United States is worse than no deal at all right now,” said Payne.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s misguided tariff strategy continues to wreak havoc on the Canadian economy, threatening the prosperity of families and communities across the country and putting tens of thousands of Canadians out of work. 

TORONTO—Unifor is condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest threat to impose a 35% tariff on non-CUSMA compliant Canadian goods as a reckless act of economic extortion designed to strong-arm Canada into an unfair trade deal. 

“There’s only one answer to this extortion from the U.S. president: push back—hard,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Canada must use every bit of leverage we have. Workers are counting on our government to defend their jobs and industries. Concessions won’t stop a bully, but collective strength will.”

The unjust trade war initiated by the United States poses a clear threat to Canadian jobs and Canadian sovereignty. Unifor continues to call for all levels of government, as well as representatives from all industries, to employ all measures necessary to fight back and take sustained action  as tariffs persist. 

While some industries are more heavily impacted than others through direct trade activity, the tariffs pose an economy-wide threat to Canada. 

Lana Payne, Unifor National President, Originally published in The Hill Times 

When we talk about building a new Canada through improved interprovincial trade and labour mobility, it’s tempting to think the biggest obstacles are bothersome regulations. But let’s not kid ourselves—what’s holding us back isn’t a patchwork of rules; it’s a patchwork of roads, rails, rivers, and rugged terrain.

TORONTO— The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports to 50% is a direct threat to Canadian jobs and economic stability.

Unifor is urging the federal government to act without delay to defend Canada’s manufacturing sector and counter the escalating trade assault.

TORONTO— Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, is calling on the federal government to take immediate and aggressive action against corporations that move jobs out of Canada in response to U.S. trade measures. The union has presented a detailed proposal, including legislative amendments, outlining how the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (FEMA) can be deployed to penalize corporations that offshore or outsource work to the detriment of Canada’s national interest.