The Canadian Auto Workers union organized the rally to draw attention to what President Buzz Hargrove called a crisis in the industry.
Mr. Hargrove told those assembled that General Motors workers in Windsor are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their jobs, which are being threatened by plans to locate a new transmission plant in St. Catharines.
“I want to send a message on behalf of the General Motors workers at the transmission plant to Mr. Harper but especially to General Motors that, by God, we've started the fight to save our jobs, to get a new product in Windsor, and we'll carry it through to the bargaining table and a strike if necessary in 2008,” he said.
It was recently reported that St. Catharines has been chosen by General Motors as the preferred location for the new transmission production, a project that will involve $445-million in spending.