Like other unions of manufacturing workers in North America, Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, is facing tough times in its auto plants. And like other unions before it, Unifor recently decided to call for all Mexican-made General Motors vehicles to be boycotted by the Canadian public in response to the company’s closure of its assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario.

This boycott is a nationalist strategy with a long history — one that can only stoke xenophobia and racism around the idea of foreigners taking jobs. It’s a strategy that Canadian autoworkers should reject. With the North American automotive industry being integrated through NAFTA and now the USMCA, nationalism won’t solve the plant closure crisis or secure a better future for auto workers.

Unifor represents workers at the Big Three automakers and many parts plants in Canada. Last month, the union bought commercial time during the Canadian airing of the Super Bowl. The ad targeted GM’s decision to close its plant in Oshawa, Ontario and relocate production Mexico after accepting billions in government bailouts.