Local candidates for the NDP are pledging to implement a dedicated auto strategy should the party form the next government.
Brian Masse, Tracey Ramsey, and Cheryl Hardcastle say they will stand up for workers and protect good auto and manufacturing jobs.
"You need a government that is part of a targeted strategy, not just giving money to their friends with no stipulation, we've got to have a plan," said Hardcastle, MP for Windsor-Tecumseh.
The strategy includes a $300 million Auto Innovation Fund, updating government fleets to Canadian-made zero-emissions vehicles, and shifting consumer incentives to made-in-Canada vehicles only.
The candidates say they will implement this national strategy while keeping a pulse on local issues.
"The question is, who can you trust to stand up for you? If you're an autoworker in Windsor-Essex or across this country the NDP is the party that you can trust to stand up for you. To show up on the picket lines, to show up at protest lines to fight for your jobs and that is something we are committed to," said Ramsey, MP for Essex.
Also on the election trail Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland was scheduled to visit a greenhouse in Kingsville with Liberal candidate for Essex Audrey Festeryga. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be at a rally in Windsor Monday evening.
Conservative candidate for Essex, Chris Lewis will be launching his campaign Monday night after recovering from a serious injury last week.