Car workers in Canada hit out at US over tariffs

For more than a century, a member of the Lawton family has worked in Canada’s car industry.

Kathryn Lawton and husband Chad both work for the carmaker in Windsor, the heart of Canada’s automobile sector, just a bridge away from the US state of Michigan.

Her children are “fifth generation Ford workers”, she says.

So when US President Donald Trump suggested that Canada stole the American auto industry, Chad Lawton calls it “ludicrous”.

“These were never American jobs. These were Canadian jobs,” he told the BBC, on the day that Trump’s auto tariffs came into force.

“They’ve always been Canadian jobs, and they’re going to stay Canadian jobs because we didn’t take them from them. We created them, we sustained them.”

Kathryn agreed: “This is Ford City right here.”

Tucked away in southwestern Ontario, Windsor finds itself on one of the front lines of Trump’s trade war.

It faces a 25% tariff on foreign-made vehicles – reduced by half for cars made with 50% US-made components or more – as well as blanket 25% US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

US tariffs on auto parts are expected next month.

The region of just over 422,000 grew alongside Detroit – nicknamed Motor City for its role as an auto manufacturing hub – turning the region into an important centre for North American automobile production.

Credit: bbc.com

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