Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says a future Conservative government would pursue a tariff-free auto pact with the United States as part of a plan to revive Canada’s auto sector and double domestic vehicle production.
Poilievre said the plan would restore Canadian vehicle production to two million units a year over the next decade, arguing the industry is critical to jobs and the country’s industrial capacity.
“Canada needs a strong automobile sector, not just because it puts paychecks in pockets and food on the table, but because it is critical to our national security to have an industrial base,” he said during a stop in Windsor, Ont., on Sunday.
The proposal includes removing the GST from Canadian-made vehicles, tying duty-free vehicle sales in Canada to domestic production, and maintaining the requirement that vehicles contain at least 75 per cent North American content under the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement.
Poilievre said the approach would encourage automakers to increase manufacturing in Canada by linking sales to production.
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“For every car produced in Canada, the same manufacturer would get to sell a car in Canada duty free from a CUSMA partner on a dollar-for-dollar basis similar to the 1965 Canada–U.S. Auto Pact,” he said.
He argued Canada’s auto sector has declined in recent years, pointing to a drop in vehicle production from more than two million units annually to about 1.2 million.
“The goal is clear. We want to double our production to two million vehicles,” he said.
During the announcement, Poilievre also criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney’s handling of trade tensions with the United States and tariffs affecting the auto industry.
“Where is Mark Carney’s plan? He’s been prime minister now for a year. We still have no idea what his plan is to counter these tariffs. None,” he said.
Poilievre’s pitch comes at a critical time for the Conservative leader. A recent Abacus Data poll conducted between March 4 and 11 suggests the Liberals currently hold an advantage nationally, with 46 per cent support among decided voters compared with 35 per cent for the Conservatives. The poll also found 56 per cent of Canadians approve of the federal government’s performance under Carney.
Poilievre said the Canadian auto sector relies heavily on access to the U.S. market and warned that losing tariff-free trade could have major consequences for manufacturing jobs.
“We will bring our factories roaring back to life,” he said. “Our plants will be humming. Our mills will be stamping more aluminum and steel.”
Really – is there any reason for Pollievere to believe a word Trimp says to him or anyone else?
The far left comments here are hilarious! How’s the 2+2=racism theorem working out?
anybody can say what they are going to do, but does he even have an idea how to do it
PP and DF are both asshats! They need to go!!
What world is he living in? His plan is not workable. It is very difficult to implement and police and introduces lot of inefficiencies. We need to diversify our trading relationships while working hard to get a free trade agreement renegotiated with the US – no matter what kind of government comes to the US next.
Yeah…what a kick ass deal with the UsA…they give the kick and canada give the ass…good to know what side the conservatives are defending.
King Carney is making life way cheaper so PP isn’t needed . Everyday my grocery & fuel costs go down . I was skeptical but wow this Elbows up guy is a genius. Can’t wait till his majority then we can get back to fighting the weather.
Does pp live in a different time line? Like wut?
Does he suggest that Canadians can afford to purchase vehicles like we have in the past? As if the cost has not increased like 35% in the last decade? New vehicles are priced out of many Canadians price range so they resort to the used market.
A half ton pickup now costs what a fully loaded one ton did a decade ago. I seen a price tag of $135k for a loaded F350 pickup the other day. 135k!!!
Does he mean the 1965 Auto Pact, NAFTA, or CUSMA? I’m a bit confused here.
Is PP still handing out coffees to peeps blaring their diesel horns all night near our hospitals?
Now with the Straight blocked, he goes to Detroit to pitch….gasoline cars?
Who is this? trump laughed pretty hard.
Some serious TDS in this comment section, heaven forbid we actually get something done that would help the Canadian economy.
Nope, here’s another 5 billion to Ukraine.
Zig Zag
March 16, 2026 at 8:24 am
Does PP think he is the PM?. Just Shut Up
Heck yea man keep those elbows up!
Have to wonder why the owned puppet media is pumping what the losing party and the… twice? 3 times? losing party leader has to say when it will impact our nation in no way whatsoever. Almost like they are starting to do promotional work for that Federal election rumor that started from them and nobody else is talking about.
Must have got his marching orders from the Director of the I.D.U. after his likely meeting with that international interference and financing group when he was over in Germany last week.
Will he get a suit budget paid for like previous leaders? Family Minivan payments paid for like a previous Conservative leader? Private school costs paid for like a previous Conservative leader? Transportation costs like a previous Conservative leader?
Of course, it’s not international influence…. When Cons scream that it’s real and happening, they don’t mean they know it because they live it. Of course not. …. … Liberals.
Does PP think he is the PM?. Just Shut Up
If you look at the 2025 electoral map, the CPC ridings cut a continuous swath from the east to west coast of Canada with 17.5 million people which would translate into 23 Republican congressional districts.
The swath is large enough to make four or five Republican states with two Senators per state.
The rest of Canada that voted LPC/BQ/NDP/Green can either join klepto-socialist Quebec in the third world, or join the US as protectorates like Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Imagine how impervious Canada and perhaps the world would be to the cyclic Middle East oil shocks, if instead of a decade of ideological infants keeping Alberta oil, Ontario’s 650 Billion cubic feet and Quebec’s 22 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the ground, west coast pipelines under developed, and blocking a pipeline to Eastern Canada, we’d had adults in charge that developed our resources?
The lost decade of Sunny Ways is a disaster Canada will never recover from.
And, who is stopping this ingenious idea? Of USA. I guess it’s not our govt PP.
PP doesn’t have the clout to make this happen. Is he suddenly besties with trump??
Poilievre needs to shut up and get back to his paper route.
Pp needs to stay out of the negtoiations and cute cause we know you are talking drumpers
Funny it was the Conservative Party that killed the Auto Pact with Brian Mulroney’s Famous Free trade deal. You and your party are a joke. Sit back and enjoy the ride until you lose the next election.
Not the brightest are you Dan?
I guess PP didn’t get the memo. Russian Agent Orange doesn’t want cars made in Canada. At least that’s what the TACO said.
The LIberals in this comment section are emotional and not that bright.
Carney is working on giving our tax dollars to Canadian auto workers. Bowing to Trump at every turn.
This is a plan. It would be a hard sell to Trump, but this is the elbows up that Carney was elected to do, and has not.
This is the pc strategy? So how were they planning to get around the crazy orange dorito? I think that the rednecks in the pc party would end up sounding and joining trump
Yes, we know that a Conservative government would sell out to the USA and become the next land claimed by them.
The Cons in the heartland have made it abundantly clear as their Premier was in the very first wave flying to Trump’s private residence to kiss his royal…. ring…
Everything they actively do has been geared toward it so of course he’s endorsing it.
This will mean canada joins US. That is what this goof wants
I wish he could simply state his plan and not have to point out the failings of the liberals… it’s just not necessary and it comes across that the conservatives really don’t have anything except for not being liberal.
Trump does not want the cats built in canada
Keep quiet PP
Smarter than bad mouthing them.like the LPC and their supporters