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NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was in Sault Ste. Marie Thursday alongside the Canadian Labour Congress, United Steelworkers Union and Sault workers to lay out a Build Canadian Buy Canadian plan, an overhaul of Canada’s procurement policies to create and keep good, unionized jobs and Canadian dollars North of the border.
Singh has also called for workers to be kept whole during a potential trade war, using every dime Canada is forced to collect in retaliatory tariffs directly to support impacted workers.
“We need to fight like hell to protect Canadian jobs from Donald Trump,” said Singh. “His tariffs will mean devastating job losses for hundreds of thousands of Canadians, and even higher prices at a time when families can’t take any more financial hits.
“Workers should not have to pay the price for a trade war, and if we act now, they won’t have to. We can create and keep good, unionized, mortgage-paying jobs, keep Canadian dollars North of the border, and fire up our manufacturing industry to build more of what we need right here in Canada. We can also get supports in place so Canadian workers can keep putting food on the table.”
The NDP plan will ban American companies from all federal government procurement contracts if Canadian workers can do them as long as outrageous tariffs are being levied by the United States. Singh will also permanently change Canada’s procurement policies to favour unionized and Canadian companies, and increase Canadian content rules. The NDP will also incentivize value-added processing and manufacturing in Canada, reducing the country’s reliance on exporting raw materials to the United States.
Singh has previously called for and committed to retaliatory tariffs; and choking off the supply of critical minerals America counts on for industries like electric vehicle manufacturing – which particularly targets Elon Musk’s Tesla.
“Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre doesn’t want to fight back, because billionaire Elon Musk has been shilling for him. Musk and Trump know Poilievre is here to help billionaires like them,” said Singh.
“If I am prime minister, I’ll fight like hell for Canadian jobs and to stop prices from climbing even higher. The stronger our response to the Trump Tax, the shorter the trade war will be. Let’s get behind Canadian workers now to keep them from being hit by the coming trade war—then let’s deliver change to create more good, unionized jobs for Canada’s long-term economic strength.”
- Every day, $3.6 billion in goods crosses the Canada-U.S. border – $1.3 trillion annually. This trade partnership supports:
- 1.4 million American jobs
- 2.3 million Canadian jobs
- The NDP will ban American companies from all federal government procurement contracts and projects when Canadian workers can do them, until Trump removes his reckless tariffs.
- The NDP will order changes to Canada’s procurement policies to:
- Favor Canadian companies in the bid selection process.
- Give preference to suppliers and contractors with a unionized workforce in the bid selection process.
- Increase Canadian content requirements.
- Prioritize building materials, like steel, made by Canadian workers, in all publicly funded infrastructure projects.
- The NDP will also incentivize value-added processing in Canada, reducing the country’s reliance on exporting raw materials to the United States. Canada can increase its capacity for value-added processing of products including lumber, wheat, milk, iron, energy and critical minerals. Incentives would have strings attached—creating unionized jobs for Canadians.
- Singh lays out plan to protect and create more unionized jobs, protect workers during trade war - January 31, 2025
- Singh writes to premiers to call for provincial sales tax relief to match GST relief pledge - November 21, 2024
- Jagmeet Singh brings Change the Rules tour to Northeast Ontario - July 22, 2024
