Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis brought a message of support for autoworkers to Windsor on Sunday, calling for government action to protect industrial jobs and help families facing work stoppages and rising household costs. Speaking at the Unifor Local 444 hall during a southern Ontario tour, Lewis said the uncertainty facing Stellantis workers underscores the need for both immediate relief and a Canadian economy less dependent on the United States. “We’re coming up to Christmas. We’ve got the steel industry in turmoil now. We’ve got production slowdowns and work stoppages across the Stellantis plants,” Lewis said. His visit followed stops in Hamilton and Brantford, with trade tensions, manufacturing jobs and affordability among the issues he raised. Lewis pointed to Unifor’s roughly 97 per cent strike mandate as a source of bargaining strength as the union seeks commitments on production in Windsor and the future of the Brampton Assembly Plant. “The NDP is 100 per cent behind Unifor. This can be resolved at the bargaining table,” he said. Lewis said the federal government should support workers as they press the automaker for those commitments. He also framed his visit as a defence of the right to strike, criticizing what he described as the Carney government’s attack on that right in federally regulated sectors. Lewis argued the financial pressures facing Canadian households began well before the current trade dispute. “We are in a cost-of-living crisis that long predates the trade war,” he said. He pointed to proposals including a national rent freeze and public options for groceries, cellphone and internet services, saying governments should act on household costs while pursuing longer-term economic projects. “I would actually use this moment of national economic emergency to put forward big nation-building projects that will support workers in the here and now, and help families address their household bills,” Lewis said. “That’s the kind of solution we need right now.” Asked about the prospect of renewed formal trade talks with the United States, Lewis said any agreement must offer Canadians lasting certainty. He questioned whether a deal could withstand sudden changes in direction from U.S. President Donald Trump and argued Canada needs measures it can pursue regardless of the outcome of negotiations. “Ultimately, we need short-term solutions, and we need long-term solutions,” he said. Lewis also defended keeping proposed export taxes on energy and critical minerals available as negotiating leverage. Asked how he would protect Windsor autoworkers if those measures triggered further American retaliation, Lewis argued that an unpredictable response from Trump should not prevent Canada from considering its options. “Anything can provoke a response. It’s raining today. Trump does something else, right? So we need to use the leverage that we have. It doesn’t mean we’re going to do it,” he said. With U.S. midterm elections approaching, Lewis cautioned against reaching an agreement that would give Trump a political victory without providing reliable commitments for Canada. Asked what conditions governments should attach to corporate subsidies to keep jobs in Canada, Lewis said public money must come with strong obligations. But he argued employment guarantees alone do not always prevent layoffs, pointing to Stelco in Hamilton and reiterating his call for the steelmaker to be brought into public ownership. Lewis said that would mean a government purchase with compensation, rather than seizing the company. He described public ownership as an option for particular circumstances, rather than every company receiving government support. “So yes, there have to be really strong strings to any public money,” he said. Returning to the Stellantis situation, Lewis said workers need community solidarity and government backing as the union seeks to secure production and jobs at the bargaining table.
