Canada’s steel and aluminum industry leaders are urging the federal government to impose tariffs on China, aligning with the United States and Mexico to protect North America’s trading space from Chinese overcapacity.
‘A Hole in the CUSMA Fortress’
In a joint statement, the industries asked the Canadian government to impose a 25 percent tariff on all melted and poured steel from China. For aluminum, they want Canada to match U.S. taxes on Chinese aluminum products. The CEOs also urged the government to act quickly in reviewing the feedback and align with the U.S. measures.
“In an ideal world, [the government] would work in lockstep with the U.S. government’s announcement and implementation so that we don’t open up a hole in the CUSMA fortress that will enable Chinese imports to come in,” Simard said.
Cobden reiterated this concern on Aug. 8, noting that despite existing tariffs on Chinese steel, imports from China have doubled in recent years.