‘Made-in-Canada, Buy-in-Canada’ initiative

We must prioritize our workers and communities because this is more than economics; it’s about sovereignty and fairness.

I’d like to respond to the Trump administration’s actions, which threatened to undermine our jobs and sovereignty.

The Federation urges provincial and federal governments to take immediate action to safeguard workers and industries through a bold and urgent ‘Made-in-Canada, Buy-in-Canada’ initiative through policy changes. Many governments have expressed doing so verbally, but we need more than that. Action must come as a policy to do so.

The Trump administration’s actions are a stark reminder that we cannot bow down to the United States when it comes to protecting our workers, our jobs and industry. We must prioritize our workers and communities because this is more than economics; it’s about sovereignty and fairness.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is calling on all levels of Government to take decisive steps, including:

• Establishing government policies for a “Made-in-Canada, Buy-in-Canada” program to prioritize local, regional and national policies to purchase and use goods and services in government procurement and public infrastructure projects.
• Implementing penalties for corporations that abandon our Canadian workers by relocating operations or removing equipment from the Country.
• Financial support for industry development affected by tariffs must ensure it helps workers and keeps them employed.

We must hear more than verbal assurances from elected leaders about protecting workers, and they must also send a clear message that corporations that pull their operations out of this Country should not be able to do so without consequences. Too often, in the past, workers were left behind while corporations chased higher shareholder profits elsewhere when they pulled operations or machinery out of the country. This was unacceptable then and is today, and we are calling for elected leaders to tell all Canadian businesses that it is unacceptable. There will be sanctions and disincentives for companies that abandon their workers and communities.

This is a moment for our elected leaders to stand firm against actions jeopardizing our communities, the economy and its workforce.

We cannot allow decisions made in another country to dictate the future of Canadian workers. It’s time for our elected leaders to take bold action to protect jobs, ensure that industry thrives within our borders, and send that message loud and clear. We can produce finished products here, and we must start and build more and more made-at-home products.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour urges unions, workers, and concerned citizens to join the call for a stronger, more independent Canadian economy, centered around the ‘Made-in-Canada, Buy-in-Canada’ initiative. We need a united front to demand action from our elected leaders. Workers deserve to know that their livelihoods will not be sacrificed to appease foreign powers or corporate greed.