Latest news with #GerdauAmeristeel
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Absolutely ludicrous': Selkirk mayor sounds off on Trump doubling steel, aluminum tariffs
Mayor Larry Johannson weighs in on Trump's tariff hike and what it means for Selkirk's steel industry and local economy. The mayor of Selkirk believes newly beefed-up U.S. tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports will stop the city's mill from trading with the southerly neighbour altogether. 'At 50 per cent, it's just too expensive. It's just too much,' Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson said Friday in an interview with CTV Morning Live Winnipeg. On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will double tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from all countries, including Canada, hiking the imposed tax from 25 to 50 per cent. Trump claims the increased tariffs are aimed at stopping foreign countries from offloading low-priced, excess steel and aluminum into the U.S. market. The changes came into effect Wednesday. Gerdau Ameristeel Manitoba is one of Selkirk's largest employers, with roughly 550 residents working at the mill. According to Johannson, the company could still sell to the United States under the previous 25 per cent tariff. 'At 25 per cent, we were still seeing a lot of semi-trailers loaded with steel coming out of our plants, heading to other projects, into the U.S. and across Canada, but 50 per cent is absolutely ludicrous.' The move has forced the industry to seek out business across Canada, he said, bolstered by memorandums of understanding inked by Manitoba and other provinces to ease the flow of goods within the country. '(Tariffs) are kind of forcing us to absolutely do that. These interprovincial trade barriers, they look like they are starting to connect, and they're going to be coming down, which is a good thing,' he said. 'We're looking at a lot of other projects.' He also believes Americans are making their disapproval of the trade war known to their elected officials. The Selkirk mayor has spent time in the States as part of his mayoral duties and has heard firsthand how unpopular tariffs have become. Overall, Johansson said he remains optimistic as a lot of negotiations are happening behind the scenes. 'There's no room for failure here. We're not shutting down. We're not going to slow down. We have to make this work. We have to.' - With files from CTV's Rachel Lagacé, Lynn Chaya and Stephanie Ha
CBC
27-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Kinew commits $1.5M to tariff-impacted industries, orders Manitoba to buy only Canadian-made steel
The Manitoba government is giving a grant of $1.5 million to the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters to develop a program to support industries impacted by the Trump tariffs. Premier Wab Kinew says he has also ordered the provincial civil service to ensure from now on that Canadian-made steel is used "anytime we build something, anytime we buy something, anytime we acquire a piece of equipment." He made the announcements Thursday at the Gerdau Ameristeel Manitoba mill in Selkirk, just north of Winnipeg, backed by a large Canadian flag and dozens of steel workers in hardhats. "Our government commits to you that your jobs are going to be here, the Selkirk steel mill is going to be here and we're going to have a strong steel sector in Manitoba long after Donald Trump leaves office," Kinew said. "We gotta stand up for our way of life and we have to stand up for the true north strong and free. And that's what today is all about." The U.S. president imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, among other products, on March 12. Asked whether his declaration that steel jobs won't disappear means there won't be layoffs, Kinew didn't hesitate. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We're going to work together," he said, pointing to loans and other financial supports announced in the budget. "If push comes to shove and we get to a tougher situation, I can tell you that the minister of finance has a whole binder full of contingency plans we can activate," he said. However, he says, the first step in helping businesses stay afloat is to support them through the supply chain, which is why he gave the Canadian steel procurement directive. Asked whether that will make things more expensive for the province, Kinew said "if the government of Manitoba has to invest a few more dollars to ensure we're creating and sustaining steel jobs here in our province, then that's what we need to do. "There has, over the years, been a cost to being cheap when we spend your tax dollars. We always want to get good value for money, but along the way, sometimes, that's led to contractors and subcontractors using steel that's brought in from other countries," he said. "Right now, in this moment of a trade war … it's really important that we think through how we build up this country. The trade war is an economic challenge Canada never asked for, but is ready to fight, Kinew said. "When it comes to patriotism, when it comes to the maple leaf and rallying around the flag, then I think every single Manitoban that I know is willing to step up," he said. "I am not going to let Donald Trump take manufacturing jobs away from Manitoba." However, Kinew balked when asked how the government is helping tariff-affected workers at Eascan Automation. The Winnipeg-based company laid off about a third of its employees as orders for its products dried up due to the trade war. "I'm not going to criticize anyone but Donald Trump," the premiers said when asked whether he was disappointed by the company's decision. There are federal government supports through employment insurance and the work-share program, Kinew said, and repeated the financial packages his government has prepared. As for $1.5-million grant to the CME, it will be used the to help businesses "plan to operate in this new environment," Kinew said. The expertise of CME — Canada's largest trade and industry association — makes it a strong partner to reach manufacturers and equip them with information and support to face the economic uncertainty of the proposed tariffs, according to a government news release that accompanied Thursday's announcement. The program to be offered by CME will include training on tariffs and market diversification, a summit to promote business-to-business connections and financial support for tariff-planning consultations, the release says. Gerdau was established in 1907 in Winnipeg (as Manitoba Rolling Mills) before relocating to the south end of Selkirk in 1913. It continues to be the single-largest employer in the city, which is also home to Karrich Industries and Castle Metals, two other players in the steel industry. More than 70 per cent of the steel produced in the city heads south of the border, Mayor Larry Johannson has previously told CBC News. "They process over 400,000 tons of scrap automobiles, railcars, bridges, and more every year to produce some of the cleanest recycled steel in the world," Johannson said on Thursday.
