The CEO of Zekelman Industries, which owns Atlas Tube in Harrow, is renewing calls to end Canada's retaliating tariffs against U.S. aluminum and steel.
Barry Zekelman says much of the focus has turned to China, and he feels fatigue might be setting in with negotiators, but the issue of tariffs remains unfinished business.
He tells CTV Windsor the tariffs cost his company $10-million a quarter.
Zekelman believes imposing quotas could be the answer.
“If Canada agreed to quotas with the U.S. and vice versa and then started concentrating on the other illegally dumped imports that come into Canada, Canada would be just fine, there'd be no issue,” says Zekelman. “So they need to do that deal and do it quickly."
Zekelman’s comments come as officials in Ontario and Quebec are calling on the federal government to take further steps to press the United States to back down on steel and aluminum tariffs.
The federal government applied tariffs on $16.6-billion worth of American imports of steel, aluminum and other products after the U.S. imposed steel and aluminum levies last year.
The tariffs were imposed last year by the U.S., and the American commerce secretary has said they were designed to address the world's overproduction and overcapacity of steel. The federal Liberals were criticized last fall for signing a new North American trade pact, which includes the U.S., without securing any guarantees from Washington that it would lift the levies.
Ottawa has announced a financial aid package for industries caught in the crossfire, including up to $2 billion in new funding and support for workers in steel, aluminum and manufacturing sectors.
Canada has rejected the premise of the American duties — that its metals exports pose a national-security threat to the U.S. — and has been fighting for the removal of the tariffs.
The United States is also coming under pressure from American automakers, aluminum producers, manufacturers and farmers to put an end to the tariff standoff.
