There's word the federal government is working to help the Ford Assembly Plant in Oakville as contract talks continue between Unifor and the automaker.
The Toronto Star reports the government has said it's willing to kick in $500-million to finance electric vehicle production, with some of the money coming from the Ontario government. The exact amount from the province is still being negotiated.
The government reportedly expects the money to be part of a $2-billion investment into the plant.
There have been concerns about the plant's future since an analyst group projected that Ford would stop production of the Edge SUV in 2023, leaving the plant without work.
It employes more than 4,000 people.
Unifor has been pushing for electric vehicle production in contract talks with Ford, which was selected as the negotiating target in contact talks with the Detroit Three automakers.
A strike deadline of 11:59 p.m tonight has been set.
Unifor represents 6,300 Ford workers with roughly 1,600 in Windsor.
The federal government has had concerns about the shrinking auto manufacturing sector. Electric vehicles are also part of it's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
A report released in April by the Pembina Institute and the International Council on Clean Transportation found that Canada has lost market share in auto manufacturing and lags behind in EV production.
It said Canada is the world's 12th largest vehicle producer, making about 2 million per year, but only 0.4 per cent of them are electric.
Countries including China, the United States and Germany are at 3 to 4 per cent.
With files from the Toronto Star and NewsTalk 1010