Now that Parliament is back, let’s get to work: Steelworkers urge all parliamentarians to protect Canadian jobs and communities

TORONTO – As MPs return to the House of Commons today, United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director Marty Warren is calling on the federal government and all political parties to make this parliamentary session about workers, by protecting and creating Canadian jobs, strengthening and enforcing Buy Canadian rules and delivering a federal budget that keeps people working and supports communities under pressure.

“Workers can’t pay the price for endless uncertainty,” said Marty Warren. “Now that Parliament is back, let’s get to work. That means enforcing mandatory Buy Canadian procurement, tightening trade enforcement so imports don’t undercut our plants and rolling out real support that keeps people employed and communities strong.”

The USW is urging the government to ensure that Buy Canadian standards are fully enforced so public investments help protect and create domestic jobs by using Canadian-made, low-carbon steel, aluminum, softwood and other materials in all federally funded infrastructure, housing and defence projects.

The union is also pushing for tougher, permanent trade enforcement to stop dumped and diverted imports before they cost more Canadian jobs. Tariff-rate quotas must be significantly strengthened to protect our domestic market and melt-and-pour rules must be enforced aggressively. The government must act quickly and strongly to stop bad actors from rerouting or mislabeling products. The USW is calling on Ottawa to provide the Canada Border Services Agency with the staff and resources it needs to monitor, investigate and act on trade violations in real time.

With the next federal budget on the horizon, the union is stressing that workers must be at the heart of the government’s budget decisions. “We need a budget that keeps people working,” said Warren. “That means an expanded Work-Share program, wage supports tied to job guarantees and investments to keep our steel, aluminum, softwood, copper, auto and critical minerals sectors strong and growing. We also continue to call for a more robust EI system.” The union is also making clear that these necessary investments in key industrial sectors must not come at the expense of public services that workers and communities rely on.

The USW is also pressing for a bold industrial strategy that builds on the federal government’s new nation-building projects and delivers jobs, build Canada’s value-added supply chains and lasting benefits in Canadian communities. From shipbuilding to critical mineral projects, to the proposed high-speed rail, these initiatives have the potential to connect regions, strengthen supply chains and support tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs. They will also build Canadian industrial capacity, so Canada is never again left at the mercy of foreign governments and policies that threaten the country’s industrial sectors.

“If every MP puts workers and communities first, we can build a fairer economy that protects and creates good jobs, supports families and communities, and strengthens Canada’s future,” Warren concluded.

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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