Toronto, Ontario – Nearly 2,000 people took part in a rally by the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) in St. Thomas, Ontario on Sunday, September 28 that focused on manufacturing job losses. The city is home to a Ford plant that builds the Lincoln Town Car and Ford Grand Marquis.

During speeches at the end of a march through the city’s streets, CAW president Ken Lewenza warned demonstrators that a Conservative majority in Parliament would have dire consequences for manufacturing workers and progressive movements in Canada, and encouraged them to vote strategically to stop Stephen Harper’s election.

The rally was part of a larger CAW Made in Canada Matters campaign, which began a year and a half ago.

“We’ve witnessed over 1,500 layoffs at the Ford St. Thomas Assembly and Sterling Truck plants, as well as countless others in recent years, which have simply paralyzed our members and their families,” said CAW Local 27 president Dennis McGee. Since 2002, the London, St. Thomas and surrounding regions have lost 10,000 manufacturing jobs.