Federal Liberal Leader Mark Carney is reconvening the Canada-U.S. cabinet Thursday morning (March 27) in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff announcement 鈥� this time against the automotive industry. 

On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on the import of automobiles and certain automobile parts, according to a fact sheet the White House posted on X. The tariff will be applied to imported passenger vehicles, light trucks, and key automobile parts, such a engines, transmissions, powertrain parts, and electrical components. There is also an option to expand the tariffs to additional parts, "if necessary."

Carney was in Windsor, Ont.  Wednesday, in front of the Ambassador Bridge which connections Canada to the U.S., to announce that, if elected, the Liberals have a $2-billion plan to "protect and create good-paying jobs, build up our auto manufacturing sector, and help workers learn new skills to meet this moment." 

He also met with Lana Payne, the president of Unifor, which is the predominant union of automotive workers in Canada. 

It was during that meeting, Carney said, that Trump announced the latest tariffs. 

"This is a direct attack to be clear 鈥� a direct attack 鈥� on the very workers I stood in front of 鈥� Unifor workers I stood in front of 鈥� this morning at the Ambassador Bridge, a bridge that is a symbol and reality, until now, of the tight ties between our two countries. Ties of kinship, ties of commerce, ties that are in the process of being broken," Carney said, noting that he would be convening a meeting of the Canada-U.S. cabinet to discuss trade options. 

Carney said this move will hurt Canadians, but he said the country will emerge stronger. 

"Canadian workers 鈥� Canadians as a whole across this country 鈥� have gotten over the shock of the betrayal and are learning lessons. We have to look out for ourselves and we have to look out for each other.鈥�

Part of Carney's announcement in Windsor was to build an "All-in-Canada" network for auto manufacturing component parts, which would mean working with the industry to build more car parts in Canada, limit those parts cross the border during production and attract investment into Canada's own industry. 

Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the "unjustified and unprovoked" tariffs Wednesday as well. He said the tariffs will damage Trump's workers and his economy, just as they will in Canada. 

Speaking to the auto sector, Poilievre said, "You鈥檙e afraid right now, you鈥檙e anxious. You wonder how you鈥檙e going to pay your mortgage or put food on the table. You鈥檙e thinking about the conversations you may need to have with your little children about whether they can register for next year鈥檚 hockey or this summer鈥檚 soccer.

"You don鈥檛 know if you鈥檒l be able to stay in the same city or what鈥檚 going to happen to your future. Canada will be there for you. We will be there for you."

Poilievre added drastic action needs to be taken "to build an economic fortress in Canada." That fortress, he said, should be able to reach other markets around the world, "repealing the anti-pipeline law, rapidly building LNG liquefaction plants, mines, factories, expanding and making our ports functional so that we can move our goods to other places around the world."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Windsor the following day, Thursday. He said Canadian jobs are under attack, with the latest tariff announcement. 

Singh laid out his party's plan to defend the auto sector, which includes "buy Canadian, build Canadian and drive Canadian." The NDP, he said, will mandate that federal departments and agencies, including Canada Post and the RCMP, purchase Canadian-made vehicles and U.S. companies that want to sell vehicles in Canada would be required to use Canadian-made parts or assemble some of the vehicle in Canada.