Tom Mulcair vows to be 'champion' for auto industry

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair sees a rosy future for the Canadian auto industry, one that he hopes to root for from the Prime Minister's Office in the near future.

"It's time auto had a champion," Mulcair told a rally at Windsor, Ont.'s Fogolar Furlan Club on Wednesday evening. "And friends, I will be that champion."

The NDP leader said that Canada lacks "a comprehensive and coherent auto strategy," which is something that Mulcair said would change if he is elected prime minister this fall.

"I will never waver from a rock-solid commitment to work with the automakers, to work with the province to attract investment in auto assembly in this great city, because I believe the best days are ahead for auto in this country," said Mulcair.

"Together we can get Windsor and Canada on track," he added, noting that he'll be making further auto-related announcements in the weeks ahead.

Cheryl Hardcastle, who will run for the New Democrats in the riding of Windsor-Tecumseh in the coming election, said she believed Mulcair's pledge to stand up for the auto industry would strike a chord with Windsor.

"I was really, really satisfied that Tom conveyed that tonight that he has that commitment," Hardcastle told CBC News in an interview on Wednesday night.

Several hundred people turned out to hear Mulcair speak at an event that began with the music of Sam Roberts playing, as the NDP leader entered the banquet hall, began shaking hands and promoting his party's effort to form the next federal government.

Windsor is just one city that the NDP leader is visiting during a campaign-style, multi-day event that has been dubbed the Ontario Tour for Change.

NDP will 'repair the damage' in Ottawa

During his speech on Wednesday night, the NDP leader took repeated shots at the Conservative government, pointing to persistent economic struggles the country is facing and a future that Mulcair said will see young Canadians worse off than their parents.

"Today, there are 200,000 more out-of-work Canadians than before the recession," said Mulcair. "Too many of the new jobs that are created turn out to be part-time, precarious, low-paying jobs."

Vowing to "repair the damage Stephen Harper has done," Mulcair said his party would, among other things, roll back the retirement age, scrap income-splitting, establish a federal minimum hourly wage of $15 and deliver 1 million low-cost child-care spaces.

Mulcair told his audience that change is coming to Ottawa, as the Canadian public has long tired of the Conservatives.

But he said the New Democrats will be relying on volunteers and supporters to take the party over the top at the polls.

And while the formal election date is nearly three months away, Mulcair said there is no shortage of work to do.

"There isn't a moment to waste," he said. "Let there be no doubt: our campaign for change is underway."

After wrapping up his remarks, the NDP leader spent at least 20 minutes shaking hands and posing for photos with party members and supporters, before the man who wants to be prime minister was then shuttled away in a Chrysler minivan.

Mulcair will be in nearby Amherstburg on Thursday morning.