Two members of the federal cabinet paid a visit to Windsor for discussions on a federal auto strategy.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu made several stops in Windsor-Essex Friday, culminating with a closed-door meeting in the afternoon with members of the executive board at Unifor Local 444. The union represents workers at Fiat-Chrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant, who found out Thursday that one of three shifts is being cut this fall due to slumping sales of minivans like the Chrysler Pacifica. The move is expected to result in around 1,500 job losses.
Bains and Hajdu were accompanied by Eglinton-Lawrence MP Marco Mendicino, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.
In the wake of the announced layoffs, Bains said the focus of the conversation was on helping laid-off employees move forward.
"We had some conversations about what the future looks like as well as what we can continue to do to support these workers, continue to support these important jobs," said Bains.
Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy said the discussions were beneficial and stressed that in order for the local auto industry to get support, everyone needs to be on the same page regardless of political affiliation.
"We need to make sure that we have Team Canada," said Cassidy. "We need to make sure that we have the federal government, the provincial government and municipalities all working together as to what the automotive sector is and looks like in this country."
Responding to criticism from opposition parties concerning what they perceive is a lack of planning for a national automotive strategy, Bains said a government priority is keeping the auto sector healthy and protecting it from tariffs, such as those imposed by the Trump administration in the U.S. Bains said these were key points that came up during negotiations for the new NAFTA agreement.
Unifor National President Jerry Dias said he has already had conversations with Premier Doug Ford and representatives from the Prime Minister’s office.
“I’m encouraged that there appears to be a commitment from the Provincial and Federal government as well as local NDP MPs to work with us to find solutions to prevent job loss for thousands of people in the region,” said Dias. “For all of President Trump’s blustering it is clear that government action can influence corporate policy. We need a united strategy to fight together for Canadian jobs.”
The ministers also met with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens to discuss ideas on how to protect area auto workers.
https://twitter.com/drewdilkens/status/1111740678151852032
