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.

“What Canada needs now is a coherent national strategy to protect jobs and hold companies accountable if they cave to Donald Trump. This starts with one simple principle –  if you want to sell here, you must build here.”

April 3 is the first anniversary of the 25% tariffs on Canadian made vehicles. Since then, Stellantis paused the retooling of the Brampton Assembly Plant, General Motors idled the CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll and cut the third shift at Oshawa Assembly, auto parts maker Autoneum announced the closure of its London facility and TitanTool & Die locked out workers more than seven months ago as it prepares to move parts production to the U.S.

Over the past year, the U.S. launched a wave of tariffs on Canadian industries, including auto, heavy duty trucks, aluminum, steel, energy, copper and forestry, while continuing to threaten other sectors including aerospace, media, industrial equipment, and others. Though some measures were struck down, the most damaging sectoral tariffs remain in place, continuing to threaten Canadian workers and reliant communities.

Unifor’s Sell Here, Build Here message is being delivered directly to the public through social media graphics and coming billboards calling on companies that profit from the Canadian market to invest and build here or risk penalties, including tariffs, and loss of Canadian customers.

While the government continues negotiations with an increasingly erratic and unpredictable administration in Washington D.C., Unifor maintains that Canada must act decisively to defend jobs and strengthen our industrial base. Last week, Payne led a delegation of Unifor leadership and members to Parliament Hill to press MPs from all parties for concrete action to protect workers and domestic production including:

• Strengthening Buy Canadian rules for public procurement
• Require companies selling in Canada to invest in Canadian industry
• Increase financial support for workers in trade-exposed industries
• Use all available tools to stop job offshoring
• Impose steep financial and market access penalties on companies that move jobs out of Canada

Read Unifor’s comprehensive list of proposed policy measures here.

“Canadian workers have shown incredible resiliency and solidarity throughout this unprecedented trade war. The fight to defend Canadian jobs and strengthen Canada’s industrial future is far from over, and Unifor will continue to lead that fight,” said Payne.

The ‘Sell Here, Build Here’ movement is part of Unifor’s flagship national mobilization initiative ‘Protect Canadian Jobs’. Visit protectjobs.ca for the latest on U.S. tariffs and how workers and communities can take action to support Canadian jobs and industry.

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. Plants have been idled, mills curtailed, shifts cut and workers and their families forced to carry the cost of economic uncertainty.

But workers are fighting back.

Sell here, build here is a clear demand to governments and corporations alike: if you want access to Canada’s market, you must invest here, create jobs here and build here. That is how we protect Canadian jobs, defend our industrial base and build a stronger, more resilient economy for future generations.

Unifor will never stop fighting for good union jobs, strong communities and Canada’s economic sovereignty.

If you sell here, build here.

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.

But they did not come in isolation. In February 2025, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian products and a 10% tariff on energy exports under a false national emergency claim tied to fentanyl. Weeks later, on March 12, tariffs of 25% were applied to Canadian steel and aluminum, later rising to 50%.

More tariffs followed throughout 2025, including duties on copper as well as new tariffs on softwood lumber, heavy duty trucks, timber and wood products, among others further increasing pressure on Canadian workers and communities.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the original IEEPA tariffs, the Trump administration committed to reconstructing its tariff policy with other measures, including an immediate 10% tariff on non-CUSMA goods. All the while, the most damaging sectoral tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum, copper, heavy duty trucks and forestry products remain in place.

Trump has been clear about his objective. He has repeatedly said he sees no reason for Detroit Three vehicles to be built in Canada and has openly threatened Canada’s aerospace, steel and aluminum and forestry sectors. These policies are not abstract trade disputes, they are direct attacks on workers, their families and the communities that depend on these industries.

One year into this trade war, the consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Manufacturing job losses are mounting, and uncertainty continues to ripple across supply chains throughout the Canadian economy.

While governments continue negotiations with an erratic and unpredictable administration in Washington, Canada must act decisively on the tools within our control to defend Canadian jobs and strengthen our industrial base.

That means making it clear to companies that profit from the Canadian market: if you want to sell in Canada, you must build in Canada.

Unifor is bringing the Sell Here, Build Here message directly to the public, through social media graphics and coming billboards in hard hit auto communities to call on companies that profit from the Canadian market to invest and build here or risk punishing tariffs and loss of Canadian customers. Download and share the Sell Here, Build Here graphics on social media here.

That same message is being carried directly to Parliament. Last week, Unifor National President Lana Payne led a delegation of leadership and members to Ottawa to meet with federal politicians from all parties and press for concrete action to protect workers and domestic production.

Unifor is calling on the federal government to strengthen Buy Canadian rules so public procurement supports Canadian production, ensure companies selling into Canada invest and build here, and use every available tool to prevent the offshoring of Canadian jobs.

The tariffs have also underscored the urgent need for worker-centred industrial strategies that reinforce Canada’s industrial base across key sectors, including auto, aerospace, forestry, manufacturing, energy and telecommunications, among others, while prioritizing job quality, supply chain resilience and long-term domestic investment.

At the centre of any economic response must be a commitment to good, union jobs. Public funding and procurement must support workplaces where workers have the freedom to organize, bargain collectively and share in the prosperity they create.

Read Unifor’s calls for political action here.

Canadian workers have endured a year of sustained economic pressure from the United States. But they have also shown resilience and solidarity in the face of these attacks.

The fight to defend Canadian jobs, protect our industries, and build a stronger, more resilient economy is far from over.  On behalf of members across the nation, Unifor will continue to lead that fight.

Visit protectjobs.ca for the latest on U.S. tariffs and how workers and communities can take action to support Canadian jobs and industry.