Union Exec Threatened to Lead 1,000 Members to Brawl With Windsor Protesters, Commission Hears

Protesters block traffic at the Ambassador Bridge, linking Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, on Feb. 9, 2022. Nicole Osborne/The Canadian Press

An executive from Canada’s largest private sector union threatened to lead 1,000 autoworkers to brawl with protesters at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor last winter, the Public Order Emergency Commission heard on Nov. 8.

“PLT [Provincial Liaison Team] update,” read a Feb. 11 note submitted as evidence before the commission. “President of autoworkers union looking at closing down a plant, claiming he has spoken to Premier. He will look to come Monday with 1,000 people to crack heads or bring heavy equipment & push them in river.”

The Ambassador Bridge crosses the Detroit River connecting Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan. Protesters started blocking the crossing on Feb. 7, hence shutting down part of the most important cross-border trade corridor between Canada and the United States.

The protest was one of several inspired by the Freedom Convoy demonstration in Ottawa against the federal government’s requirement that all truck drivers crossing the Canada-U.S. border need to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, Supt. Dana Earley, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) commander in charge at the Ambassador Bridge, testified that the Feb. 11 note was from a PLT that spoke with David Cassidy, president of Unifor Local 444, who represents 20,000 members in sectors such as automotive, transportation, and several others.

“What kind of danger does this pose to your team as you were planning for action, the weekend?” asked commission senior counsel Frank Au.

“This is extremely concerning as the CIC [Critical Incident Commander], and it was just other options now that I had to consider that not only the protesters perhaps would not like the plan of action, but we may have counter-protesters attending as well that would create significant issues for public and officer safety,” Earley replied.

‘At No Time Did I Threaten’

Earley said she learned from the PLT that they were facing challenges developing a rapport with the counter protesters.

“So they had discussions with a member from the auto union and he expressed his displeasure with the protest and, in fact, was sharing with them that he was going to take matter[s] into his own hands if it was not resolved,” she said.

“We asked for time or his patience.”

In response to Earley’s testimony, Cassidy said the allegation against him isn’t true.

“While it is true that I spoke to Premier [Doug] Ford to express my frustrations and many others at the lack of action to end a blockade that was harming auto workers, at no time did I threaten physical violence against the protesters,” he said on Nov. 8, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

During the hearing, Au presented a summary Earley wrote and submitted as evidence, which aligned with the observation recorded in the Feb. 11 note. The summary alleged that “[Cassidy] was willing to bring autoworkers to the blockade site to forcibly clear out protesters by Monday, February 14 if police had not cleared the blockade by that date.”

Windsor police, with support from other forces such as the OPP and the RCMP, cleared the blockade and protest on the night of Feb. 13—one day before the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.