TORONTO – The Canadian National Director of the United Steelworkers union (USW) denounces U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that a 50% tariff on imported copper will take effect on Aug. 1, 2025.
“This is yet another escalation in Trump’s trade war that puts Canadian jobs and entire industries at risk,” said Marty Warren, USW National Director. “Copper is critical to Canada’s economy, from mining and smelting to manufacturing, clean energy technologies, telecommunications equipment and critical infrastructure. These tariffs will drive up costs, disrupt supply chains and hurt workers on both sides of the border.”
Trump announced the tariffs on Truth Social, citing national security concerns. Canada is the second-largest supplier of copper to the U.S., with over half of Canada’s copper export value in 2023 going to the American market.
“Canadian workers didn’t start this trade war, but they’re the ones paying the price,” said Warren. “This is the same political playbook Trump used for steel and aluminum. It undermines North American manufacturing, jobs and economic security.”
The announcement comes just days before the July 21 deadline for Canada and the United States to reach an agreement in ongoing trade negotiations. Without a deal, there is growing fear that companies could be forced to cut jobs as they face the mounting impacts of these tariffs and the broader trade war.
The United Steelworkers is calling on the Canadian government to act urgently by implementing a wage subsidy with job guarantees to protect workers, strengthening procurement policies and introducing Made-in-Canada tax incentives to support domestic industry and sustaining pressure on the United States to reverse these unjustified tariffs and restore fair market access for Canadian exports.
“Canada can’t keep waiting while good jobs hang in the balance,” Warren added. “More than 3,000 of our union’s members work in Canada’s copper industry alone. We need immediate and decisive action to protect these workers, their industries and their communities from the devastating impacts of this trade war.”
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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