As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens new 50 per cent tariffs on various Canadian products, the head of a Hamilton steelworkers union says the situation is “concerning” for those in the industry.
Tariffs have already hurt Canadian steel sales to America, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1005 president Ron Wells told CBC Hamilton on Monday. Additional tariffs could raise the cost of living and broadly affect sales at other businesses that steel producers supply, he said.
Fifty per cent tariffs on steel have been in place since last year, so it’s not clear exactly what Trump meant when he said on social media that levies would increase to 50 per cent as of Jan. 1 for steel, automobiles and auto parts.
Hamilton is home to two of the largest primary steel producers in Canada — ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Stelco — as well as a plethora of fabricators.
Wells, whose local represents about 620 workers at Stelco, said business has been “very slow” since tariffs took effect.
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Early Saturday, 50 per cent U.S. tariffs on about $28 billion worth of Canadian goods also kicked in, after trade negotiations between the two countries fell apart. Prime Minister Carney has said Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. starting Sept. 8.
In a statement on Aug. 22, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said that “as a steel and manufacturing city with a significant agricultural sector, we know the uncertainty ahead will be stressful for many Hamiltonians.”
“I will continue to advocate for our federal and provincial partners to stand firmly behind Canadian workers and industries so Hamilton businesses have the support they need as they continue to weather this uncertainty,” Horwath said.
Greg Dunnett, CEO of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, said Monday that the city is “one of the most negatively impacted communities,” and will need support and investment.
“We are definitely suffering,” Dunnett said.
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CBC Hamilton reached out to Cleveland-Cliffs, which bought Stelco in July 2024, to ask about the impact of current and threatened tariffs on its operations in Canada, but did not receive a response before publication.
In a July 23 earnings call, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said Stelco was “lagging” and, “Without further measures to protect fair trade in Canada, the future competitiveness of our galvanizing lines in Hamilton is at risk.”
Wells said he hopes the company will honour commitments it made to preserve unionized jobs in Canada, adding: “Those comments are worrisome.”
Stelco also operates in Nanticoke, Ont., along Lake Erie.
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As in other sectors, people in the steel industry have been navigating changes in U.S. trade policy for over a year.
Speaking in French on Monday, Carney told reporters that Americans want to destroy the Canadian auto, steel and aluminum industries by using unfair negotiating terms.
Premier Doug Ford spoke in similarly stark terms while addressing a news conference in Hamilton, saying Ontario could either fight back or watch its manufacturers “bleed out.”
Ford said Monday that even though retaliatory tariffs would mean Canadians paying more for certain goods, he supports that tactic, adding they could help turn Americans against Trump’s trade policy.
“This will not be easy,” Ford said at a Stoney Creek housing development. “We have to withstand the economic pain that will come with this fight.”
The premier said he spoke to workers at ArcelorMittal Dofasco earlier in the day and his message to them was the same one he’d give to all workers in the province: “No matter what President Trump sends our way, we’ll have your backs.”
One way the province will support workers is by broadening eligibility for its Protect Ontario Financing Program to offer loans to tariff-affected businesses, he said.
Ford also said he’d like Ottawa to consider further limiting foreign steel imports and loosening emissions rules on manufacturers like steel companies. He said municipalities and businesses should be buying Ontario goods.
Ford doubled down after earlier saying Trump could “kiss my ass.”
He called Trump a bully and a “loser,” and quietly giving into his demands won’t help.
“I have a lot of real estate on my ass, so he has a lot of room to kiss my ass,” Ford said when asked about the remark Monday.
Ford needs to “get his ass back to Queen’s Park” to pass emergency tariff relief, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said in a statement.
In the morning, Stiles visited the USW Local 7135 picket line. Some 1,200 National Steel Car workers have been on strike since mid-August.
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The Opposition leader also called for other measures in the face of U.S. tariffs, including prohibiting data centre contracts with U.S. businesses and cancelling government contracts with U.S. companies.
When a reporter asked Ford to respond to Stiles’s comments, he accused her of engaging in “gutter politics” and the NDP of being unsupportive of his government’s trade war measures.
USW national director Marty Warren said in a statement Saturday that he wants the federal government to use tariff revenues to protect jobs, adding that measures including employment insurance “must be improved to support incomes” and protect jobs.
CBC Hamilton also emailed ArcelorMittal Dofasco for comment on how tariffs have been affecting operations.
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The company declined to comment, deferring to the Canadian Steel Producers Association.
In a statement, association vice-president John Cuddihy said the newest tariffs “are a concerning escalation,” but no trade deal is better than a bad one.
“Canada’s steel producers will continue to work to protect our producers, their workers and our steel communities across Canada, working with the federal and provincial governments on the factors within our control,” he said.
Dunnett and Wells also said they supported Carney’s decision to walk away from trade talks.
