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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre unveiled the party’s most substantial auto strategy to date under his leadership — one he says will both bring back production to Canada and be “highly attractive” to partners south of the border.Â
“The goal is clear: we want to double our production to two million vehicles,” Poilievre said speaking in Windsor, Ont., on Sunday, saying he’d like to institute a tariff-free auto pact.
The pitch comes amid Poilievre’s first visit to the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump launched his trade war.Â
The plan calls to remove the GST on all Canadian-made vehicles, something that was part of the Conservatives’ campaign promises in the 2025 general election.
It also looks to align Canada with the U.S. on Chinese tariffs, part of Poilievre’s strategy to boost Canada’s leverage in the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) on trade.
A 1-for-1 car deal
Asked how he’d get Trump to agree, Poilievre says his plan addresses the U.S. president’s desire to repatriate production to the U.S. and would see a “massive production gain” on both sides of the border.Â
“The plan that we’re putting forward allows both the United States and Canada to massively increase their production by incentivizing auto makers to match a car made with a car sold,” he said.
Poilievre meets with workers and politicians at Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing in Windsor, Ont., on Sunday. (Pratyush Dayal/CBC)
Poilievre is pitching a one-for-one deal, where for every car manufactured in Canada, he said, that same producer would get to sell a car duty-free from a CUSMA partner.
Poilievre crossed the Detroit River back into Canada to make the announcement, following meetings with senior executives of General Motors and Ford in Detroit.
More to come.