Business leaders call on Trudeau to end prorogation following steel, aluminum tariffs
More than 100 business leaders have called on Trudeau to end prorogation in place of “a sitting and functioning parliament” that tackles trade disputes with the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum for the second time in seven years. Similar 25% tariffs in a 2018 trade war devastated Canadian businesses and exports, according to the Department of Industry.
They were blamed for “killing Canadian businesses,” according to prior testimony at the Commons industry committee.
This time around, costs could jump 40%, threatening tens of thousands of jobs, reported Blacklock’s.
"If it's made in the United States, there is no tariff... We don't need it from another country, as an example, Canada."
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 11, 2025
President Trump signs an executive order announcing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum entering the U.S. pic.twitter.com/3gHUviwP9n
As a result, more than 100 business leaders called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end prorogation in a scathing letter penned yesterday.
“We need a strong, empowered, legitimate, and robust government, supported by a sitting and functioning parliament to deal with these very grave, complex and delicate matters,” the letter states.
Trudeau called the measures “entirely unjustified” while away in France for a conference on artificial intelligence. He later threatened equivalent tariffs on American metals Wednesday morning.
Several industry leaders have also issued strong rebukes prior to the latest tariff threat, though before the letter became public.
PM Trudeau reacts to Trump's tariffs on all aluminum and steel: "entirely unjustified... We will stand up for Canadian workers," pic.twitter.com/4SKEzxWAb1
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 11, 2025
Jean Simard, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association of Canada, told CBC News that local manufacturers will need federal support to sustain themselves during a potential crisis.
“At the end of the day, a 25 per cent tariff cannot last,” said Simard. “If it’s not a long-term thing, you want to remain in the market in the hope that when things revert, you still have your clients and you still have your part in this whole value chain.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has also called for Parliament to resume and pass tariff support for affected businesses and workers to no avail.
Meanwhile, Catherine Cobden, CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, says Canada should respond with “immediate and strong” retaliatory measures.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also threatened similar tariffs on American aluminum and steel, with “all of the proceeds … given back to our steel and aluminum industry.”
“Any surplus will be given in tax relief for our people,” he added.
Trudeau says "Canada will respond" to US tariffs on aluminum and steel.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 12, 2025
"Regardless of the level of tariffs ... we will be equally unequivocal in response." pic.twitter.com/tv0gFpxF5k
The first set of tariffs targeted $16.6 billion worth of Canadian steel exports and $9 billion of aluminum exports, reported the Globe and Mail. Steel exports then dropped nearly 40%, with aluminum by more than half.
Ben Whitney, president of auto parts maker Armo Tool Ltd. said the company paid 24% more for Canadian steel in 2018, averaging $50,000 a month. Meanwhile, Mailhot Industries Inc. paid $150,000 a month in duties for operating a Québec hydraulic cylinder factory.
President Trump recently gave Canada a 30-day reprieve from tariffs on all exports in exchange for tightened border security, excluding Canadian steel and aluminum. The federal government tabled a $1.3 billion border package last December to avoid similar devastation on local industries.
Steel and aluminum mills employ 43,000 Canadians, according to federal estimates.
“Donald Trump’s tariffs are a direct attack on Canadian workers and our economy. These tariffs don’t protect jobs—they kill them,” the statement continues. “Canada cannot sit idly by while our workers are treated as bargaining chips in Trump’s trade war.”
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzezck commented 2025-02-12 20:58:07 -0500If those business leaders are so bright, why didn’t they act sooner? -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-02-12 18:48:48 -0500It took a month but business leaders finally see the danger posed by Trudeau’s brain-dead retaliation. What a vacuous twit that man child is! Doug Ford and other unthinking premiers are also just as stupid.
