Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is joined by members of Parliament, Kathy Borrelli, left to right, Harb Gill, and Chris Lewis during a press conference outside the Windsor Club in Windsor, Ont., Friday, March 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dax Melmer

By The Canadian Press

Conservative leader says his plan is ‘the only hope’ for Canada’s auto industry

Mar 13, 2026 | 10:08 AM

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre set off for a weekend of meetings in Michigan Friday promising to return to Windsor, Ont., in two days with details of a plan he said is “literally the only hope of keeping our auto sector in Canada.”

Poilievre pitched his “auto pact” in a speech in Toronto two weeks ago. There he told a business audience that Canada should shut out Chinese automakers and vehicles in return for tariff-free access to the American market.

“Mark Carney’s idea that he’s going to replace the American market with China or other overseas markets for automobiles is an illusion. It is impossible,” he said Friday in Windsor.

Poilievre said his plan would align regulations between Canada and the U.S. and remove the GST from Canadian-made vehicles.

He did not offer further details but said he believes “we can get the Americans to accept this proposal.”

Poilievre said he hasn’t brought his proposals to any American business or political leaders yet and hasn’t shared the plan with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“We have carefully studied what the American auto industry is looking to achieve and we have calibrated a plan that will allow us to repatriate and massively increase our auto production on this side of the border, while at the same time making it attractive to the United States,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have levied tariffs on the auto industry in what they say is an effort to force vehicle manufacturers to move their production to the United States.

Vehicles have been subject to a 25 per cent tariff on both sides of the border since April 2025. The duty on Canadian vehicles only applies to non-American parts. The duty on Canadian vehicles only applies to non-American parts.

The Liberal government last year was negotiating with the Trump administration to end its sector-specific tariffs on industries like steel, aluminum and automobiles.

Trump paused trade talks last October after he was angered by an anti-tariff ad campaign from the Ontario government.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington last week for the first time since the freezeout.

LeBlanc’s office said they discussed upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade — better known as CUSMA — and broader bilateral trade issues.

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

“We will be making the case that both Detroit and Windsor are stronger when we trade together,” he said.

Poilievre said he was not able to schedule meetings with Stellantis.

The company has been criticized heavily over its decision to move planned vehicle production to the U.S. from its plant in Brampton, Ont., which employs about 3,000 people. It also sold its stake in an EV battery plant in Windsor, Ont., last month.

Unifor, the union that represents workers at the idled plant in Brampton, has been outspoken in pushing for Stellantis to reopen and in lobbying all levels of government to do more for workers who have been laid off.

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

“Mark Carney has us on track now to lose the entire auto sector because he effectively has waved the white flag and conceded that he’s not going to be able to get tariff-free access for our autos,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2026.

— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington, D.C.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press