“District in the back”

For more than a century, a Luton family member worked in the automotive industry in Canada.

Catherine Luton and her husband Chad are working for Windsor’s auto manufacturer, the heart of the car sector in Canada, a bridge away from the US state of Michigan.

She says her children are “the fifth generation of Ford workers.”

So when US President Donald Trump suggested that Canada had stolen the American auto industry, Chad Luton calls it “ridiculous”.

“These were not American jobs. These were Canadian jobs.

“They have always been Canadian jobs, and they will remain Canadian jobs because we did not take them from them. We created them, we have preserved them.”

Catherine agreed: “This is the city of Ford here.”

Windows is located in southwest Ontario, and finds himself on one of the front lines of the Trump’s commercial war.

It faces a 25 % tariff on foreign -made vehicles – it is reduced by 50 % of the components of the United States or more – in addition to the US tariff by 25 % on steel and aluminum imports.

American definitions of auto parts are expected next month.

The region has grown slightly over 422,000 alongside Detroit – nicknamed Motor City for its role as a car manufacturing center – around the region to an important center for car production in North America.

Ford established its presence in Windsor in 1896, while the Stelantis (then Chrysler) factory in 1928 arrived with dozens of factories and suppliers who are around the city and the surrounding area in the following decades.

Many manufacturing has left the city since then, although it is still proud of Ford engine factories and Stelantis assembly factory, which employs thousands.

The workers on both sides of the border built creative vehicles over the decades, the most recent of which are models such as Dodge Charger and Ford F-150.

About 24,000 people work directly in the car industry in Windsor-CSEX, while an estimated 120,000 jobs depend on the sector.

It looks car across the neighborhood surrounding the Ford factory as if it is a time in time, as it displays classic Aquilizer from the last century. Many have seen better days, although each of them includes a small balcony and front yard. The large murals celebrating the history of the city’s cars permeate the scene.

Windsor has survived the challenges of the car sector in North America alongside Michigan, where the industry shares the deep integrated supply chain.

Chad Loton refers to the 2008 financial crisis, when American auto manufacturers – Ford, Gres Motors and Chrysler – faced amazing losses, and General Motors and Kresler got billions of rescue in the United States to avoid bankruptcy.

He said that this period was “bad, not only for adjacent arrival, but also we have passed a very difficult time.”

“This feels the same. The level of anxiety with workers, the level of fear, the idea, and the belief that this is just something outside your control so that you cannot wrap your head about what to do.”

John Denolo, head of Unifor Local 200, who represents Ford workers in Windsor, said the situation is “the creation of ruin.”

“I think we will see stagnation,” he said.

He continued: “People will not buy anything. I must tell my organs not to buy anything. They must pay the rent and food for their children.”

What makes the definitions such a difficult pill to swallow the car workers that the British Broadcasting Corporation spoke is that this position has been created by the United States, the closest economic and security ally in Canada.

“It seems to be a stab in the back,” said Austin Wellzil, 27, a Stelantis assembly worker. “It resembles our neighbors and friends – they don’t want to work with us.”

Christina Ghosti, who worked in Ford for 25 years, said that the possibility of losing her job, and what it means to her family, is “terrifying”.

But Mrs. Grosso is afraid to lose the meaning she gets from her work.

“You were doing this task for a long time and you are really proud of it, you are proud of what you put in the audience,” she said. “Now someone is leaving the opportunity to do so.”

Laura Dawson, Executive Director of the Future Border Coalition, said that definitions could cause significant disturbances throughout the sector due to their deep integration, with ripple effects throughout the continent if exports from Canada stop for more than a week.

She said the American definition structure is very complicated.

Cars that cross the border will need to evaluate each component for “qualified content” – where it arises, the cost of work to produce them, and if they contain steel or aluminum – where this mineral came from.

She said: “Every part of a car under a microscope where it was produced and how.”

The American definitions were a major factor in the general elections in Canada, which is located on April 28, with the political parties in Canada offering plans for the campaign path to help the auto sector.

Liberal leader Mark Carney, the current Prime Minister, pledged to create a fund of $ 2 billion ($ 1.4 billion; 1.1 billion pounds) to increase competitiveness and protect manufacturing functions, as well as plans to build an automatic “All-Innada” automatic network.

In his role as Prime Minister, last week imposed an amount of 35 billion Canadian dollars in anti -auto tariffs, in addition to mutual measures that were previously announced on the United States.

The main Carney competitor, Conservative Leader Pierre Boulevri, pledged to remove the sales tax on Canadian vehicles, and to establish a fund for companies affected by definitions to help maintain their employees.

Jagmeet Singh, who is fighting the new left -wing Democratic Party for a competitive seat in Windsor, has pledged to use every dollar of anti -aid customs tariffs, and prevent manufacturers from transporting equipment to the United States.

However, Windsor’s economy depends on automobile companies, and depends heavily on trade with the United States. If you stumble, everything – from restaurants to charities – will feel the effects.

The penalty box is a sporty road on the road directly from the Stelantis factory, and it is popular with workers there.

“We are one of the busiest restaurants. I don’t want to say that, but if I ask about the penalty box, they will tell you,” said Van Nephorus, 70. “We offer approximately 1000 meals a day.”

With a white square and a wide smile, its 33 -year -old history is linked. But his behavior darkens when asked about the threats faced by the auto sector.

“It is a devastating situation. I don’t want to think about it,” he said.

“We use 60 people and open six days a week. (If something happens to Stellantis), will we be able to keep 60 people working? No” at all. “

Chad Luton, who was sitting in his office in the local union, takes a deep breath while thinking about his feeling of dangers.

He does not believe that Carney’s counter -tariff helps the current situation, saying it “makes a really bad situation a little worse.”

He hopes that there will be room for commercial negotiation, but he said that he would be the first to say that Canada “cannot give up and roll.”

“I have worked for Ford Motors for nearly 31 years, and I have not seen anything close to this,” he said.

“This includes Covid, because at least with Covid, we knew what we were dealing with. There was some certainty there.”

“This is all over the map.”