Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke today from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario. During his speech, Carney emphasized the importance of Canada’s automotive industry and announced a “Strategic Response Fund” of CAD$2 billion ($1.4 billion USD) to bolster the Canadian auto industry and its supply chain in response to the U.S.’s April 2 auto tariffs.
In his opening remarks, the newly appointed Prime Minister highlighted the significance of the Ambassador Bridge, noting that over a quarter of all Canada-U.S. trade—amounting to more than $400 million daily—passes through it. He warned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and actions have strained relations between the two nations to unprecedented levels, stating, “His trade war threatens to hurt hardworking Canadians—the people we care about.”
Carney reiterated that his government will channel all revenue from Canada’s retaliatory tariffs into supporting the workforce. He outlined several measures already in place: waiving the one-week insurance waiting period for workers, introducing a middle-class tax cut saving families up to CAD$825 annually, implementing $10-a-day childcare, and launching the Canadian Dental Care Plan.
Focusing on the auto industry, the Prime Minister stressed that vehicles are Canada’s second-most-exported product, directly supporting over 125,000 jobs and nearly 500,000 more indirectly. “Canadian autoworkers don’t just build vehicles; they build Canada,” Carney declared.
He then unveiled the “Strategic Response Fund,” a CAD$2 billion initiative to protect autoworkers’ jobs from the impact of Trump’s tariffs and strengthen the auto industry’s supply chain. The former banker elaborated, “Under our new plan, we will build an ‘All-In Canada’ network for auto manufacturing components. On average, an auto part crosses the border, often over that bridge, six times before assembly. In a trade war, that’s a huge vulnerability.”
Carney expressed his ambition to increase vehicle production in Canada, viewing it as both a shield against U.S. tariffs and an economic driver. He also pledged to accelerate growth in the critical minerals sector, referencing the “First Mile Fund” established last Friday to connect mineral extraction sites to infrastructure. To streamline approvals, he announced a “one-window approval process” to eliminate redundant federal requirements.
Shifting to politics, Carney took aim at Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, his election rival, echoing criticisms from a speech the previous day. He described Poilievre as negative, angry, and divisive, drawing a parallel to U.S. President Donald Trump: “Someone who worships Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him.” Carney is campaigning as head of the Liberal Party against Poilievre’s Conservatives in an election set to begin April 28. He concluded, “We will build a stronger, more resilient auto industry. We will build Canada strong.”