Ontario Construction News staff writer
The United Steelworkers union is welcoming the postponement of an additional round of 50% U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods but says existing duties continue to hurt workers and key industries.
USW National Director Marty Warren said the pause provides “some breathing room” but urged Canada to continue negotiating for meaningful reductions in U.S. tariffs.
“The progress reported in negotiations is encouraging, but important work clearly remains to be done,” Warren said in a statement, adding existing tariffs continue to affect Canada’s steel, aluminum, copper, forestry and automotive sectors, among others, while broader Canada-U.S. trade negotiations remain critical for workers across the country.
The union’s position is that any agreement must protect Canadian jobs and industrial capacity while providing workers and businesses with greater certainty.
“Canada should keep negotiating from a position of strength,” he said. “No deal is better than a bad deal that sacrifices Canadian workers, jobs or key industries.”
The USW also called on the federal government to strengthen the domestic economy and industrial capacity regardless of the outcome of negotiations.
The union represents 225,000 members across Canada and says it is the largest private-sector union in North America, representing 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
