OTTAWA – Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Thursday U.S. tariffs have left Canada’s steel and aluminum industries in a state of emergency and promised the federal government will “take a decision very quickly” on how it can help.
Joly said she was in contact with CEOs in both sectors Thursday morning and over the weekend.
“We know that the Canadian steel and aluminum workers are very anxious and they want us to come up with a solution really, really quickly,” she said.
Her comments came as the heads of the Canadian Steel Producers Association and the United Steelworkers were visiting Parliament Hill and calling for urgent action from the federal government.
The groups were set to hold a press conference later on Thursday afternoon.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is also scheduled to hold a press conference Thursday, along with Joly, U.S.-Canada Relations Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports in March.
On June 3, Trump doubled the tariffs to 50 per cent — a move that industry analysts say threatens to cripple Canada’s steel industry.
The United Steelworkers Union, which represents 225,000 members in Canada, said in a press release that the 50 per cent tariff would completely shut Canada out of the U.S. market.
It said Canada should end exemptions that allow U.S. steel to enter Canada without tariffs.
The union called on Ottawa to strengthen domestic demand in the longer term and to impose targeted countermeasures to protect the Canadian market from offshore steel.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
