Windsor, Ont., mayor finds Trump tariff threats hovering over auto-centric border city 'offensive'

CBC

12-02-2025

Drew Dilkens says never before has he seen Canada come under "economic attack" by the United States like it has recently with tariff talk from president Donald Trump.
The mayor of Windsor — a southwestern Ontario border city — didn't mince words when speaking with CBC Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge on Wednesday.
"This is offensive in so many ways," he said, citing the countries as close friends, allies and trading partners.
"I've never seen anything like this and never thought I would. But we are where we are."
With a 30 day pause on U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of blanket tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. set to expire in early March, Dilkens says the sense of uncertainty that's been created across the community is unsettling for many.
"I just think it's nonsense. He [Trump] keeps bringing people and countries to the brink here by announcing further tariffs and saying it's going to happen 30 days from now. If this happens, if that were to happen to the auto industry, it would just be devastating — and devastating on the U.S. side as well."
A large percentage of the workforce in the Windsor area is directly or indirectly reliant on the automotive industry and its cross border connection.
According to Dilkens, residents would prefer a level of certainty — after being told what the rules of engagement actually are.
"Having this moving target and the goalposts that keep moving is just … it's good for nobody. It may be good for media and filling the airwaves on the media, but it's not good for business," he said. "It's not good for anybody."
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Trump has said he'd prefer all American vehicles are made fully in the U.S., boxing out other countries.
"Moving backwards and saying that we're going to get rid of this [cross border, international auto industry] and just somehow repatriate all production, all jobs back to the United States: good luck," Dilkens said.
"It's going to take decades to do that and hundreds of billions of dollars. We'll see the stock market tank … cause interest rates and inflation to rise in the United States — and overall [it] would be really bad for their residents as well."
He calls the threat "terrifying" and that it "makes no sense" and must be taken seriously.
"It's just hard to believe that one man can cause so much chaos and try and disrupt a relationship that's been so, so strong for so long."
"The threat of even a 25 per cent tariff in a city like ours being so auto centric and so integrated with the United States will be … I hate to use the word … but it could be catastrophic."
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Dilkens said in the absence of nothing else, counter-tariffs imposed by Canadian governments are the only thing you have in a trade war.
Border city union says members are 'very nervous'
Windsor's largest single employer is Stellantis, and its biggest union is Unifor Local 444, which represents workers at the automaker's assembly plant.
Union president James Stewart says most of his members, including ones at other manufacturing plants, are "very nervous."
"It's anyone that's involved in auto or in auto parts on both sides of the border," he said earlier this week.
"If they're not nervous, they should be, because ultimately a 25 per cent tariff … will be devastating," said Stewart.
"They're worried about their futures. They're worried about their families. They want to go to work and build good quality vehicles."
Stewart says if the tariffs go ahead it will shut down production "within weeks."
"We would try and make sure we keep the plants running as long as we can. But we saw in COVID, the part supply chain … it's designed in such a way that if you have a major break in that supply chain, it affects the whole industry. And that could happen very quickly here."