Canada election: Tariff-stricken auto industry dominates campaign as Honda disputes relocation rumour

Turns out we have some quick news to share before we go.

Just now, the Leaders' Debates Commission has decided to move the time of the French-language debate tomorrow to 6 p.m. ET.

The debate was scheduled for 8 p.m., but NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet requested it be moved due to a scheduling conflict with a Montreal Canadiens hockey game with potential playoffs implications.

Radio-Canada's head of public relations, Marie Tétreault, said in a statement that the change will ensure viewers won’t miss "this crucial moment of the election campaign" while also catching a "decisive moment of the hockey match," which is expected to end around 10 p.m.

That’s all for us today from the campaign trail. We’ll have plenty of coverage on CBCNews.ca, but as always, here are some links if you’re looking for more on a certain topic:

• After a tense day, Honda Canada denied a Japanese news report and said it is not planning to move production out of Canada to the U.S.
• Autoworkers say they fear there will be more hard times ahead, as industry experts warn tariffs on North America's profoundly interconnected auto sector could damage the sector beyond repair.
• There is a foreseeable scenario where Canada and the U.S. build a closer relationship out of this ugly moment — but this outcome is far from certain, according to one influential figure in Washington.

See you tomorrow.

I’m Joseph Ryan, a reporter in Toronto speaking with auto shop workers in nearby Mississauga, Ont.

Sal Spano, a general manager at Johnston and Magwood Tires & Auto, one of the oldest tire shops in the area, says he hopes leaders will keep costs low.

“I’ve had people come in who broke down,” he said about customers who see higher bills when coming in to change tires and fix their cars at his shop.

He says everyone is now cutting corners, and this shop that was founded shortly after the Second World War might fall victim to the volatile auto industry that is seeing threats and changes every day.

“The future is unknown,” he said.

Hello, I'm Courtney Dickson, a writer in Vancouver.

Longtime Conservative MP Ed Fast isn’t running in this election. And now he’s taken the rare step of endorsing the independent candidate who initially looked set to replace him under the Conservative banner.

Fast, who has represented the riding of Abbotsford in B.C. since 2006, announced last year he would be retiring from federal politics. Mike de Jong, who served as a provincial MLA and cabinet minister for the B.C. Liberals for more than 30 years, said he'd be seeking the Conservative nomination — but was unexpectedly rejected by the party as candidate for the newly created Abbotsford-South Langley riding.

Fast described the Conservative party's move as "profoundly dishonest."

"The way the party backroom operators acted to steal democracy from the good people of Abbotsford and Langley is unconscionable," he told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn Tuesday morning.

Fast said he still supports the election of a Conservative government, but does not support the candidate chosen to succeed him: Sukhman Singh Gill, a 25-year-old Langley businessman.

De Jong said he's honoured to have Fast's endorsement. “If the people of Abbotsford–South Langley select me to succeed him as their MP, I will do my very best to honour the legacy of integrity and principled public service he leaves,” he said in a press release.

Yves-François Blanchet confirmed during an afternoon event in Montreal that he made the request earlier today, but said he hasn’t heard back yet.

The Bloc leader said during a separate event this morning that he would seriously think about calling the Leaders’ Debates Commission to ask them to move the debate, after a Radio-Canada reporter recalled that former Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe did the same thing — successfully — in 2011.

The NDP also called for the debate to be rescheduled in a press release earlier this afternoon.

Hey everyone, I'll be working on your live updates this afternoon. Over in Washington, my colleague Katie Simpson asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt whether Donald Trump was considering offering relief on current auto tariffs or the additional tariffs on auto parts coming in May.

Leavitt said she had no news on changes to auto-related tariffs, but that the U.S. president "has flexibility when it comes to negotiations and talks." Ultimately, though, "his goal … is to put the American worker first," she said.

Katie also asked Leavitt what is behind the U.S. president's apparent shift in tone on Canadian sovereignty in recent weeks.

Leavitt rejected that Trump’s position has shifted, adding it might just be because he doesn't get asked about it often by reporters in the Oval Office.

"The United States has been subsidizing Canada's national defence and he believes that Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state of the United States of America,” said Leavitt.

Trump has said Canada does not contribute enough of its GDP towards defence spending, relying instead on U.S. military power. Canada has pledged to meet NATO's two-per-cent GDP target by 2032.

Hi, I report live from across Ontario for CBC News Network. Today I’m on Manitoulin Island, and more specifically, in the M'Chigeeng First Nation. I'm at Kenjgewin Teg, a post-secondary institution that is hosting an on-campus voting site run by Elections Canada.

Sandra Dewing is a welding student here and plans on casting a ballot. "We are lucky to live in a democratic society," she said. "If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain."

Dewing, who is training for a second career, said she'd like to hear more commitments from candidates for increased mental health services for young people in her community.

Adolphus Trudeau, a retired firefighter and former local councillor, is also studying welding.

"What's heavy on my mind is First Nations issues. We've got to have that voice at the table," he said.

Trudeau, and others I spoke to today, said their voices are not being heard in this campaign so far.

The school is hosting a candidates meeting tomorrow and Beverley Roy, president of Kenjgewin Teg, plans to ask candidates about their plans for Indigenous education and rights. She said she hasn't heard enough about those issues during the campaign.

"That's part of the tough questions I'm going to be asking tomorrow. I want to hear what their positions are," she said.

Indigenous voices, and their votes, should not be ignored, said Roy. "Indigenous people can make a difference in these types of elections, especially in our riding."

After a Japanese newspaper reported that Honda was considering moving some of its production out of Canada and Mexico and into the U.S., a spokesperson for the automaker’s Canadian branch has shared a statement.

“This was not an announcement by Honda and we cannot comment on the specifics of this morning's headlines,” the spokesperson said.

“However, we can confirm that our Canadian manufacturing facility in Alliston, Ont., will operate at full capacity for the foreseeable future and no changes are being considered at this time.”

The spokesperson said the company constantly studies its options to deal with unforeseen events so that it can “mitigate negative impacts on our business.”

The NDP just released a statement calling on organizers to reschedule the French-language leaders’ debate and avoid a conflict with an all-important Habs game that could determine their playoff chances.

The game is at 7 p.m. ET tomorrow and the debate starts an hour later — that’s a lot of chirping to watch, and Singh said he doesn’t want Canadians to have to choose.

“Hockey is in our blood,” said Singh. “This scheduling conflict makes the political system look out of touch and is going to have a serious impact on who tunes in to the only French debate of the campaign.”

As Michael mentioned earlier, the request isn’t without precedent. But it seems unlikely to happen this time around with just a day to go until puck drop.

The French-language leaders’ debate is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET tomorrow, but the Montreal Canadiens’ playoff hopes could be on the line at the same time.

Back in 2011, the French-language debate was rescheduled to avoid a Canadiens-Bruins playoff game. Gilles Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Québécois at the time, led the charge.

Current Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet was asked about this today and he was surprised that Duceppe’s request in 2011 was successful.

“I didn’t know that,” Blanchet said. “I’ll reflect on that, and we’ll call the [Leaders’ Debates Commission] and see what they think of that idea.”

A couple of things to note: Duceppe’s request happened several days in advance, and he had the support of other parties in his efforts. That’s not the case this time.

The game also might not matter. If the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are chasing the Habs for that playoff spot, lose tonight against Philadelphia, the Habs clinch a playoff spot. Then tomorrow’s game becomes far less important.

Lastly, I have to add: my beloved Ottawa Senators have a game Thursday night, in conflict with the English-language debate. But they clinched a playoff spot last week so I don’t have to deal with any of that stress (sorry Habs fans).