Steel, aluminium: Canada says US tariffs will hurt jobs

OTTAWA: Canada has repeated its position that imposing punitive trade measures would hurt jobs in both countries, in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s decision to postpone steel and aluminum tariffs that were set to go into effect on Tuesday.

The Trump administration said on Monday that the 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% tariff on aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico would be suspended until June 1.

Speaking a few hours before the announcement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the tariffs were a “very bad idea” guaranteed to disrupt trade between the two nations.

Adam Austen, a spokesperson for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. said Canada would work to secure good jobs for steel and aluminum workers on both sides of the US-Canadian border.  

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2018.

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