U.S. President Donald Trump’s hiking of steel and aluminum tariffs “could be catastrophic” for Canada’s biggest steel producer, the mayor of Hamilton, Ont., warns.
“It is going to be pretty bad for Hamilton, pretty bad for our local companies, pretty bad, of course, for the workers that work in those companies, in those factories, and of course, our family and our families and the broader community will also be impacted,” Mayor Andrea Horwath told CP24 on Tuesday night.
Hamilton is the home of two steel manufacturers, ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Stelco and they employ nearly 6,000 people in the city. Overall, Canada is the largest steel supplier to the United States, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of all imports in 2023.
On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order that would double steel and aluminum tariffs, increasing them from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.
Horwath shared that companies previously conveyed to her back in March when the 25 per cent steel and aluminum tariffs were imposed that they could weather those duties in the short term, but any increase would be “devastating.”
“We’re doing everything we can in Hamilton, and we’re going to continue to put the pressure on the other orders of government, and I know they want to help,” the mayor said.
Horwath is hoping to get firm dates from the other two levels of government on when the companies can expect some kind of help or relief from the punishing tariffs.
“What I’m hoping for is something that’s tangible, that we can start putting some things in place that are sooner rather than later, in terms of signalling that we’ve actually got this because I think a lot of people are feeling very worried and very nervous,” she said.
Horwath noted that she’s been in touch with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who on Monday vowed to “onshore every single widget we can” in response to the increased steel and aluminum tariffs.
On Tuesday, the premier accused the U.S. government of breaking a promise.
“I’m a man of my word. When we agreed, when I went down there (to Washington, D.C.) with Secretary (of Commerce Howard) Lutnick, they pull off the 25 per cent additional tariffs, we take off the surcharge that we put on the electricity,” the premier said.
“That promise was broken. So, you know, I gotta take a different approach.”
Meanwhile, the Office of the Prime Minister released a statement on Tuesday night calling the tariff hike “unlawful and unjustified.” It stated that the Canadian government is engaged in “intensive and live negotiations” to remove all the tariffs through a new economic deal with the U.S.
“We are fighting to get the best deal for Canada, and we will take the time necessary, but no longer,” the statement read.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras and Laura Sebben
