MONTREAL – A representative of Canada’s aluminum industry says the Trump administration’s 25 per cent tariffs could destroy demand for the metal in the American market.
Jean Simard, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association of Canada, says orders from U.S. clients will slow and aluminum will pile up at Canadian factories if the tariffs persist.
He says Canadian producers may look to sell more of the metal to Europe if U.S. President Donald Trump’s punishing 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum, which took effect today, last over the long term.
Simard says some companies will try to use less aluminum, like Coca-Cola, which last month said it would shift to using more plastic bottles instead of cans if Trump’s tariffs took effect.
But he says other customers, including auto manufacturers, are locked into contracts and will have to pay the tariffs on imported aluminum.
Simard believes there’s a good chance the White House will soon relax the tariffs, which apply to all steel and aluminum entering the U.S., as the market reacts.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2025.
