‘Unjustifiable blow’: Quebec leaders dumbfounded by Trump’s aluminum tariffs

Industry leaders and politicians successful Quebec are furious implicit U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff bid connected aluminum imports, calling the determination a brutal, unjustifiable stroke to the province.

On Monday, Trump signed an enforcement bid to levy 25 per cent tariffs connected each alloy and aluminum entering the U.S. starting March 12.

Hours earlier Premier Francois Legault near for Washington, D.C., Tuesday alongside different Canadian premiers, helium called Trump’s determination a “totally unjustifiable decision.”

“Quebec is the largest aluminum importer to the U.S.,” helium wrote connected X. “I volition beryllium determination to vigorously support our interests and workers.”

François Racine, president and CEO of AluQuébec, which represents implicit 40,000 workers who process and alteration aluminum, told Global News helium is successful disbelief astatine the announcement.

“It volition summation its terms successful North America by astatine slightest 25 per cent, on with everything made with aluminum,” Racine said. “Everything volition get much expensive, further expanding inflation, which is what Trump said helium wanted to fight.”

Industry leaders connected some sides of the borderline are dumbfounded by the tariff threat, Racine said.

“The manufacture volition get little competitive, truthful the information semipermanent is that products made with the metallic successful North America volition beryllium a batch much costly than the aforesaid products made successful different regions,” helium said.

“It’s conscionable different bullying maneuver from the U.S. president.”

Government information shows Quebec accounts for 60 per cent of aluminum utilized successful the U.S., and 90 per cent of the aluminum produced successful Canada, meaning it’s the supplier of astir of the metallic successful North America.

Racine says the immense bulk of the industry’s workers aren’t employed by large corporations, but by smaller processing companies, which are mostly babelike connected the American market.

“We are talking a important interaction connected the smaller companies.”

The gross from aluminum processing amounts to $11.6 billion, according to AluQuébec.

Data from the International Trade Administration shows the United States is Canada’s largest marketplace for aluminum, with much than 3 cardinal tonnes exported past year. Its second-largest supplier is the United Arab Emirates.

Canada’s aluminum smelters are chiefly located successful Quebec, with the largest smelter successful the state located successful Sept-Îles.

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According to Investissement Quebec, Canada is the fourth-largest shaper of superior aluminum successful the world, with an yearly accumulation of 3.2 cardinal metric tonnes (90 per cent of it retired of Quebec).

Aluminum is the second-largest economical assemblage successful the state aft aerospace, with an export worth of $7.1 billion. The assemblage represents 10 per cent of the province’s export market.

It says its aluminum is “the greenest successful the world,” arsenic much than 97 per cent of each vigor produced successful the state is renewable and mostly hydroelectric.

“Primary aluminum produced successful Quebec generates 67 per cent and 76 per cent little greenhouse state than superior aluminum produced successful the Middle East oregon China, respectively, Investissement Quebec says.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Ottawa volition enactment to convince Trump that his steel and aluminum tariffs volition wounded some countries.

A elder authorities authoritative said Tuesday that Trudeau spoke with U.S. Vice-President JD Vance astir the interaction alloy tariffs would person successful Ohio, which Vance antecedently represented successful the U.S. Senate.

Trudeau said his authorities would “be moving with the American medication implicit the coming weeks to item the antagonistic impacts connected Americans and Canadians of these unacceptable tariffs.”

This is the 2nd clip Trump has imposed specified tariffs against Canada. In 2018, helium imposed 25 per cent connected alloy and 10 per cent connected aluminum. Those tariffs lasted for astir a year.

–with files from Sean Previl and The Canadian Press