Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan responds to Ross Romano's statement on local steel jobs

NEWS RELEASE

TERRY SHEEHAN, MP SAULT STE. MARIE

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There is no question the successful negotiations for the USMCA were an arduous task. Our government chooses to work collaboratively, to be positive and productive, and to represent Team Canada on the world's stage. We believe in consultations with Canadians and in hearing from stakeholders. Working jointly on removing the unacceptable U.S. imposed steel and aluminum tariffs is the manner in which we have proceeded from day one.

I am pleased to see Mr. Romano is willing to work together with the federal government on this issue and as my office has not yet been contacted by the provincial representative, I invite him to reach out and would be happy to discuss a positive, proactive plan that continues to involve all levels of government, steel stakeholders and the community.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and our team have worked incredibly hard for all Canadians in negotiating the new USMCA agreement. When enacted, the new USMCA agreement will safeguard $2 billion daily in cross-border trade.

There is some misinformation in MPP Ross's press release regarding the USMCA and the steel and aluminum tariffs being linked in negotiations. This is untrue, and politicizing the issue or providing misleading information does not serve our constituents. In fact, the NAFTA negotiations did not include the steel and aluminum tariffs because the tariffs were applied by President Trump as an Executive Order, creating an entirely separate dispute mechanism requirement. President Trumps 232 Executive Order was a World Tariff which applies to all countries including Canada and Mexico.

Both the U.S and Canadian lead negotiators on NAFTA, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, had previously said the issue would be dealt with on a separate track from the trade negotiations. Canada is currently disputing the 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum before the World Trade Organization. President Trump cited Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to bypass Congress in pursuit of the new tariffs.

Now with the agreement in principle on the USMCA completed, we are able to use this positive momentum to continue to deal with the tariffs, and just as before when the tariffs were first applied, I can tell you defending our workers and strengthening the Canadian steel industry remains a priority for me and the federal government.

I spoke with the Prime Minister and Minister Freeland and we all agree to continue fighting against the tariffs, and provide ongoing support for the steel industry and workers. This includes:

• Leaving Canada's $1.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs on a variety of U.S products in place.

• In defense of Canadian workers and Canadian industry, the Government of Canada has made available up to $2 billion to defend and protect the interests of Canadian workers and businesses in the steel, aluminum and manufacturing industries.

• This includes $25 million over four years to extend work-sharing agreements for impacted businesses by an additional 38 weeks as well as increasing funding through skills training and employment services delivered by provinces and territories.

• The Government of Canada will provide $1.7 billion through Export Development Canada and Business Development Canada to provide financing and liquidity to keep businesses open and operational.

• The Government of Canada will also make available up to $250 million in targeted assistance as part of the Strategic Innovation Fund to work with Canadian manufacturers to partner with Canadian steel and aluminum producers to replace US imports, bolstering demand and production.

• And the Government of Canada will provide an additional $50 million to support efforts by Canadian businesses to take advantage of newly signed free trade agreements with Asia and Europe and diversify trade.

This week at an International Trade meeting in Ottawa, Algoma Steel indicated that it has applied for SIF funding which will be a critical piece of the puzzle in strengthening the steel maker as it comes out of CCAA. I would encourage the Ford Government and our local MPP to also put concrete funding supports in place for all steelworkers and the steel industry.

But most importantly, we will not allow divisive and counter-productive approaches to remove our focus. Our government will continue to carefully monitor and assess the situation nationally and regionally to make sure that our actions meet the needs of workers who may be affected by the tariffs.

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