Cut Off U.S. Energy and Resources Now: No Electricity, No Critical Minerals, No Oil and Gas
WINNIPEG – Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, issued the following statement today:
Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs are an attack on Canadian workers and our economy. With 2.4 million jobs tied directly or indirectly to trade with the U.S., these tariffs put industries, families, and entire communities at risk. But Canada’s unions know how to respond, and have solutions.
Canada must take decisive action to protect workers and push back against these harmful policies. The United States must feel immediate pain for their actions aimed at harming the Canadian economy and its workers.
The Canadian Labour Congress is calling for a comprehensive response that includes:
- Matching tariffs dollar-for-dollar to ensure the U.S. administration feels the consequences of its actions.
- Cutting off U.S. access to critical Canadian resources—including electricity, lumber, critical minerals, oil, and gas—until the tariffs are lifted.
- Immediate support for impacted workers through financial assistance, job protection measures, and transition programs. `
- A long-term strategy to reduce Canada’s reliance on U.S. trade, expanding our economic partnerships and diversifying markets to protect workers from future foreign policy disruptions.
The federal government has taken a first step by considering income supports for affected workers—an approach that helped stabilize our economy during the pandemic. But much more is needed to meet the scale of this threat. A suite of measures to preserve jobs and manufacturing capacity, protections for distressed borrowers, and robust income supports are needed to ensure that workers and our communities can weather this storm.
For generations, Canada and the U.S. have built a relationship based on mutual respect, economic partnership, and cross-border solidarity. If this is how Trump treats his closest ally, no country is safe from his reckless economic policies.
Recent polling shows that Canadians overwhelmingly support strong action:
- 77% want the federal government to impose tariffs in retaliation.
- 75% support restricting U.S. access to Canadian resources.
- 90% believe Trump’s tariffs will damage Canada-U.S. relations.
Workers expect leaders to stand up for them. This is a pivotal moment for Canada to come together with a bold plan to protect jobs, strengthen industries, and create new opportunities for workers. The labour movement will always mobilize, organize, and push for solutions that secure livelihoods, support communities, and drive sustainable economic growth.