The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is demanding swift federal action to stabilize affected industries and support workers impacted by the Trump tariffs.
Members of the congress visited Windsor on Monday, the same day as the shutdown at the Windsor Assembly Plant due to the tariffs.
They held a news conference along the Windsor's riverfront near the Ambassador Bridge and they're calling for immediate and bold government actions to protect Canadian workers.
CLC President Bea Bruske says now is the time for banks and lenders to step up and support workers in these critical times.
"When workers face layoffs, we're calling on banks and lenders to step up and support workers and that means at this critical time no foreclosures, no repossessions not now, not while workers in this country are under attack," says Bruske.
She says workers need support.
"We need to give families breathing room, we need to allow deferrals on mortgages, on car loans, on personal loans, on credit cards right across the board," she says. "We need to ease the terms and extend the duration of loans. We need to reduce on credit cards and on lines of credit so families are not buried under debt while they're also fighting to stay afloat."
Bruske says during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government was able to stabilize the economy, paving the way for an economic rebound.
"If this government of Canada can move mountains in 2020 to save Bay Street, they sure as hell can save main street in 2025," says Bruske. "This is bigger than Windsor and it's bigger than autos. I'm thinking today of the steel workers in Sault Ste. Marie, and Hawkesbury, and Hamilton, and in Quebec who are also waking up without a pay cheque on a day like today."
CLC says the shutdown at the Windsor Assembly Plant marks the beginning of a growing crisis that extends beyond the auto sector.
Bruske says workers are concerned with the uncertainty caused by the tariffs.
The CLC is calling on the federal government to modernize EI, use public procurement to drive innovation and sustain good union jobs.
The congress also wants to see the expansion of domestic green industry with government support.