OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada’s Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Thursday a US proposal to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would be “unacceptable.”
“We’re following this situation very carefully,” Champagne told parliament.
“Any tariffs or quotas that would be imposed on our Canadian steel and aluminum industry would be unacceptable. Any such decision would have an impact on both sides of the border.”
Canada is the largest supplier of both steel and aluminum to the United States.
If Washington goes ahead with the tariffs, Champagne said Ottawa would respond to “defend our workers and steel and aluminum industries.”
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, pointed out that Canada is a recognized “safe and secure supplier” of steel and aluminum for the US defense industry.
As such, she said, “It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States.”
Freeland noted pointed out that “the United States has a $2-billion surplus in steel trade with Canada.
“Canada buys more American steel than any other country in the world, accounting for 50 percent of US exports,” she said.
© Agence France-Presse
