Since President Trump’s inauguration, Canada has borne the brunt of an unprecedented wave of trade aggressions gripping the global economy. The imposition of tariffs on a broad range of Canadian industries, including auto, aluminum, forestry and steel, has led to job losses and investment declines on both sides of the border. After the Canadian government rightly backed away from what would have been a concession-laden trade arrangement with the Trump Administration, the U.S.-led trade war on Canada will continue – and likely worsen. Unifor must be ready to respond.

Since the first wave of tariffs were dropped, Unifor members in all regions and industries, have demanded governments respond decisively to Trump’s actions with forceful countermeasures and a comprehensive support for affected workers. Few countries, other than Canada, have taken Trump to task. It’s by leveraging our economic strengths, not cowering to Trump’s whims, that will bring this trade dispute to a head.

Canada is now eighteen months into Trump’s trade assault, and navigating wave after wave of U.S. tariffs imposed under the most insincere and legally groundless justifications. Trump’s latest batch of section 338 tariffs against Canada reflect the President’s appetite for bully tactics.

Up to now, there have been tensions within civil society on how best to respond. Bay Street bankers, consumer advocacy groups and certain businesses think Canada should accept U.S. pressure and sign a deal whatever the cost. While the cost of a bad deal to stock-traders and financiers might be minimal, the cost to workers is far too high.

Any move that concedes Canada’s industrial economy, our homegrown media industry, our strong regulatory standards – all of which the U.S. wants – effectively concedes our sovereignty.

This dispute is about so much more than tariffs. It’s about our country being able to build, to source, and to determine the things that Canada needs. It’s about protecting good union jobs. It’s about crafting trade policy that seeks mutual interest and fairness.

Despite notable efforts by government, including modest counter-tariffs, a new Buy Canadian procurement strategy and removing U.S. liquor from shelves, Canada’s manufacturing, metals and forestry workplaces continue to bleed jobs and investment. Transportation, logistics and service sector workers face knock-on job losses as investment is pulled from the country. Media and telecommunications workers continue to navigate job loss and outsourcing. And while the insatiable demand for Canadian energy, potash and minerals is a distinct domestic advantage, our downstream value chain is underdeveloped, and our processing capacity is falling away.
It is unacceptable for US tariffs imposed on Canada to become the “new normal.” The fact is, Canada is unlike any other U.S. trade partner, with interlinked supply chains, joint production of industrial goods and a shared consumer market. The U.S. buys most of what Canada builds, and vice versa. That’s why even the “lowest tariff in the world”, in the Prime Minster’s own words, is still a bad deal for Canadian workers. It imperils the future of hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs that are export dependent. Unifor members experience this insecurity firsthand and, through the Protect Canadian Jobs campaign, are on the frontlines of the fight.
As your President, I am ensuring our voices are heard directly at the highest levels. Recently appointed to Prime Minister Carney’s Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations, I will use this vital platform to guarantee that protecting Unifor jobs and countering these tariffs remains central to our federal government's trade strategy."

In light of ongoing trade uncertainty, a pending Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement (CUSMA) review, and the ongoing threat of US tariffs, I recommend that Unifor’s regional councils, industry councils and local unions:

• Engage in forthcoming federal and provincial government consultations to determine advanced countermeasures against U.S. trade aggression. The National Union shall continue its work with the federal government, cabinet ministers and across federal departments, advocating that Canada’s countermeasure strategy reflects Unifor’s priorities, protects good union jobs, and advances the union’s industrial development efforts.
• Call on government to exercise significant leverage in this ongoing trade dispute, including in areas where Canada maintains economic advantage.
• Engage regional councils, industry councils, local unions and members in federal and provincial organizing efforts to Protect Canadian Jobs, so that politicians remain answerable to constituents whose jobs are on the line in this trade war.
• Re-commit support to the national Protect Canadian Jobs campaign, its calls to action, and to use this campaign as a platform on which to develop sector-targeted strategies and membership engagement efforts, including regular updates and communications to local unions.