Unifor embarks on urgent Protect Canadian Jobs lobby week in Ottawa
Unifor
|March 23, 2026
OTTAWA – Unifor leaders from across the country are in Ottawa this week, meeting with more than 75 MPs from all sitting parties to deliver the message to Protect Canadian Jobs.
“In the face of U.S. tariffs, everything is on the line for workers in Canada, and we need the federal government and all political parties to match the urgency of this moment,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “We’re ready to deliver a message to protect Canadian jobs, our country’s industrial economy, and defend trade union rights.”
Unifor is calling on the federal government to implement three policy pillars to protect workers and increase Canada’s economic resilience:
- “Buy Canadian” and “Sell Here, Build Here”: Companies that sell in Canada must build in Canada. We need “Buy Canadian” rules applied to projects like the $3 billion VIA Rail renewal. This also means ending preferential treatment for U.S. suppliers and using every legal tool to stop the offshoring of Canadian jobs.
- Worker-Centered Industrial Strategies: Develop coherent, sector-specific strategies with clear targets to reinforce Canada's industrial base. We need industrial strategies crafted with worker input to prioritize job quality and training, bridge supply chain gaps and protect good jobs in every sector.
- Promote Good, Union Jobs: Ensure public dollars only go to companies that respect workers’ rights. Unifor’s plan calls for union neutrality for companies that benefit from government funding, defending the right to strike, and trade rules that protect Canadian workers from unfair competition.
“Our plan shows government how to build a more resilient economy which promotes good, union jobs. We must protect and grow industries in Canada and Quebec with a whole-supply-chain outlook, and the only way to do that successfully is to include workers in the process,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier.
Unifor has advocated for actions to protect jobs, build a more resilient economy, and defend Canadian sovereignty. Find information on the union’s asks here.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
For media inquiries in English please contact Unifor Communications Representative Sarah McCue at [email protected] or at 416-458-3307.
For media inquiries in French, contact: Unifor Quebec Communications Representative Véronique Figliuzzi at [email protected].
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