Poilievre makes auto sector announcement during stop in Windsor

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during an event in Windsor, Ont. on March 15, 2026. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

Visiting the heart of Canada’s auto sector on Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pitched his party’s plan to increase Canadian auto production through a new tariff-free auto pact and greater access to the American market.

During a news conference held in Windsor on Sunday, Poilievre said the Conservative plan to restore Canada’s auto production to two million cars per year over the next 10 years will be done through a new tariff-free auto pact.

“Mark Carney is presenting a fantasy and dangerous illusion that we can replace auto sales to the U.S. with EVs overseas,” said Poilievre. “The Liberal plan will mean no more auto industry in Canada. Conservatives will bring back good-paying auto jobs, grow production and make Canada a place where we can build the future of our auto sector through tariff-free trade with the US.”

In 2016, Canada built 2.3 million vehicles, compared to 1.2 million in 2025.

Placing blame on Prime Minister Mark Carney, Poilievre said things have gotten worse over the last year, citing a 33 per cent decrease in Canadian output compared to a production increase abroad in Mexico and slight decrease in the U.S.

Poilievre also pointed to the loss of jobs across the auto sector in recent months, including GM CAMI in Ingersoll, GM in Oshawa, and Stellantis in Brampton.

Poilievre said the issue is not due to weak demand with Canadians have purchased 1.9 million new cars in 2025, but said the issue lies with Canada only having built 1.2 million vehicles, meaning Canada has to rely on foreign vehicle imports.

Further compounding the industry is U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration levying tariffs on the auto industry, saying they want to force vehicle manufacturers to move their production to the United States.

With the threat of tariffs, Poilievre announced the Conservative plan to help Canada’s lagging auto sector, including:

• Removing the GST on all Canadian-made vehicles
• Implementing a rule where for every car produced in Canada, the same manufacturer would get to sell a car in Canada, duty-free, from a CUSMA partner, on a dollar-for-dollar basis
• Maintaining the minimum 75 per cent North American content and existing CUSMA rules of origin
• Creating a harmonized North American cybersecurity and data standard, while banning vehicles using Chinese or Russian-connected software
• Aligning with North American partners on Chinese tariffs if they accept this plan, for maximum leverage in CUSMA renegotiations.

Poilievre said the plan will secure tariff-free access to the U.S. market and will expand Canada’s auto industry overall.

Late last week ahead of meetings in Michigan, Poilievre touted the plan as “literally the only hope of keeping our auto sector in Canada,” but at the time said he hadn’t shared it with Carney.

Poilievre and three local Conservative MPs had been set to meet with executives from Ford and General Motors over the weekend, along with lawmakers from Ohio and Michigan.

The Conservative leader said Friday he’s consulted with unions in the sector and said they “should be” supportive of his plan.

“We will not sit idly by as our auto industry is hollowed out,” he concluded. “Conservatives are offering real solutions to save the jobs of our great Canadian auto workers.”

With files from The Canadian Press