Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is spending the morning in Oshawa where a General Motors assembly plant is slated to close next year.
The Opposition leader spoke to a number of autoworkers as they started their shift early Friday and will also meet with Mayor-elect Dan Carter later in the day.
“I’m here actually to be with the workers to say that we are going to support them as much as we possibly can,” she told reporters outside the GM plant in Oshawa.
“We’re going to fight for them and with them and we know how important good jobs are for families to be able to build a life in Ontario.”
Horwath is also scheduled to hold a roundtable with the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce.
GM announced on Thursday it will team up with local dealerships to help train workers impacted by the job cuts and hire them as service technicians.
VIDEO: Andrea Horwath calls for Ontario auto strategy
More than 2,500 unionized jobs will be lost following the automaker’s decision on Monday to close down five North American plants, including the one in Oshawa, to focus on its electric and autonomous vehicle programs.
Jerry Dias, the leader of the union representing the affected autoworkers, said this week the plant will not shut down without a fight.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Wednesday union leaders and politicians are selling “false hope” to GM employees and that the focus should be on finding new jobs instead.