"Today, Donald Trump has once again proven that he is no friend to working people—on either side of the border. The imposition of a 25% across-the-board tariff on Canadian exports is a direct attack on workers, our industries and our communities.

Let’s be clear: these tariffs are reckless, unfounded, and harmful to both Canadian and American workers. This is not about fair trade; it’s about political posturing at the expense of good-paying jobs.

Without decisive action and a quick resolution, the consequences could be devastating. More than 2.4 million Canadian jobs depend directly and indirectly on trade with the United States. In 2024, some 1.8 million people worked in sectors where at least 35% of jobs depended on U.S. demand for Canadian exports. This decision threatens hundreds of thousands of these jobs as a result.

Every day, $3.6 billion in goods cross the Canada-U.S. border, amounting to $1.3 trillion annually. This trade partnership supports 1.4 million American jobs and 2.3 million Canadian jobs. These tariffs don’t just hurt Canada – they threaten the stability of industries on both sides of the border.

Canada cannot stand by idly. We expect our governments to take immediate and vigorous retaliatory action, so that Canada does not bear the cost of this trade war alone. The Canadian government must do all in its power to provide support to protect jobs and for affected workers, including emergency income support, improved access to Employment Insurance to help families cope with the economic fallout.

This is not the time for partisan politics. Workers and their families need to see all levels of government – regardless of political stripe – come together with a clear and united strategy to protect Canadian jobs and industries. Our response must match the seriousness of this crisis, with swift action to shield workers from the consequences of Trump’s reckless trade policies. Now is the time for leadership, not division.

Beyond short-term responses, Canada must take significant action to reduce its dependence on U.S. trade by strengthening its own manufacturing sector. This means adopting a long-awaited industrial strategy, procurement policies that prioritize Canadian industries, ensuring that public infrastructure projects use Canadian steel, aluminum and other materials, and investing in domestic supply chains that create good, unionized jobs right here at home.

We have been through this before, and we know how to fight back. USW will stand shoulder to shoulder with workers, pressuring governments to take action and ensuring that no worker is left behind.

Workers built this country, and we won’t let Donald Trump or any other billionaire-backed politician tear it down."

About the United Steelworkers union:

The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

For more information, please contact:Shannon Devine, USW Communications, sdevine@usw.ca, 416-938-4402François Soucy, USW Communications, fsoucy@usw.ca, 873-355-2841