The Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association has done a good job putting the numbers together. In Canada, 81,000 people are employed in the automotive supply sector, by both Canadian and foreign-owned firms. Those Canadian companies operate 150 plants in the United States, employing almost 43,000 American workers, and 120 plants in Mexico, providing jobs for roughly the same number of workers there.
It is hard to imagine how interfering with open trade or implementing other protectionist policies would benefit these people and their families. It would be helpful to hear many more examples from other industries. Policy-makers, business leaders and labour leaders all have a role to play in showing how open trade has meant jobs for workers across North America and around the world.