TORONTO – Tens of thousands of Canadian families have been left in the lurch from concessions made by the Liberal government to get a deal with the United States on a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement.
“Time and time again during the NAFTA renegotiations, the Liberal government assured Canadians that it was defending our steel and aluminum sectors and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Canadian families,” said Ken Neumann, United Steelworkers (USW) Canadian Director.
“Given the Liberal government’s rhetoric throughout the process, it was inconceivable that it would agree to any deal that harms Canada’s steel and aluminum sectors,” Neumann said.
“Instead, the Canadian government struck a deal with the U.S. that fails to remove the senseless and damaging tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imposed by the Trump administration in June,” he said.
“Canadians expected that an agreement on NAFTA would result in the U.S. lifting the bogus national-security tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Instead, it appears Canadian steel and aluminum workers are among those being sacrificed in the concessions made by the Liberal government in this deal,” he said.
“Rather than give-and-take negotiations that would generate new provisions to improve Canada’s trading position with the U.S., the Liberal government engaged strictly in concession bargaining,” Neumann said.
“The Liberals made concession after concession until the Trump administration got the deal it wanted. In the process, the Canadian government sold out Canadian steel and aluminum workers. So much for the ‘win-win-win’ deal promised by this government,” he said.
“The United Steelworkers on both sides of the border continue to insist that Canada’s government must draw a line on this issue. U.S. quotas are unacceptable and the current steel and aluminum tariffs must be lifted immediately.”
