Steelworkers call on federal government to hold the line and strengthen Canada’s economic defences as trade war escalates

TORONTO – United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director, Marty Warren, issued the following statement today:

“Trump’s tariffs on Canadian exports remain in place and now he’s imposed a 35% general tariff on non-CUSMA compliant Canadian exports, a 50% tariff on steel, aluminum and copper, new duties on softwood lumber and ongoing investigations that could hit even more sectors. These are direct threats to Canadian economic sovereignty and key industries like steel, aluminum, softwood and other manufacturing sectors where thousands of good jobs are on the line.

Let’s be clear: no deal is better than a bad deal. And while we’re disappointed an agreement wasn’t reached to end this trade war, the worst outcome would have been a deal that locked in permanent damage to our economy.

But this fight is far from over. The federal government must remain steadfast to secure the right deal for the Canadian economy and Canadian workers and must not accept anything less.

United Steelworkers members have a history of putting it all on the line in bargaining, up to and including strike action. It’s never an easy decision but you must meet the challenge of the day: today’s battle is a trade war Canadians didn’t start. We expect the federal government and provincial premiers to come together to take decisive action to defend Canada, its workers and its key sectors.

This means that the government should be ready to take smart, targeted retaliatory measures and provide emergency support for workers – including extending emergency Employment Insurance and Work-Sharing measures beyond their current October 11 expiry. It also means implementing the domestic measures already announced, such as Buy Canada rules, strengthening trade enforcement to tackle unfair imports and dumping, as well as investing in domestic industrial capacity without delay.

We need a serious, long-term industrial strategy to reduce our reliance on U.S. trade, rebuild domestic capacity, diversify trading relationships, and strengthen the sectors that sustain communities across this country. And above all, we need to ensure Canada is never again in a position of economic vulnerability.

This is a crucial moment. The decisions made today will shape Canada’s economic future for years to come. Canada must use this moment to build real economic sovereignty by investing in domestic industries, protecting key sectors and asserting control over our future. We need a government that won’t flinch – a government that will defend Canadian jobs with strength, vision and solidarity.”

About the United Steelworkers union

The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

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