Steelworkers union urges Carney to defend Canadian jobs and industries in Trump talks

TORONTO, Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement as Prime Minister Mark Carney travels to Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, urging the federal government to defend Canadian jobs, industries and communities:

“Canada’s softwood lumber industry is on the brink of collapse. Thousands of workers and entire communities are hanging by a thread while Trump’s tariffs deindustrialize our economy and threaten good jobs across the country. We need urgent action – not more concessions – to defend our national industries and the workers who sustain them.

Steelworkers expect the Prime Minister to stand firm for Canadian workers and industries. Canada cannot afford to trade away its sovereignty or its capacity to manufacture and process the resources we depend on. Every sector targeted by U.S. tariffs – from steel and aluminum to copper, lumber, and auto manufacturing – needs a strong, specific response that protects jobs, production, and communities here at home, including the use of sectoral counter-tariffs on U.S. goods when necessary.

If free and fair trade in strategic sectors cannot be restored, the federal government must be ready to retaliate and take all necessary measures to protect the integrity of Canadian industrial production and employment. Canada must also close its borders to dumped and unfairly traded steel and strengthen trade enforcement. We cannot allow foreign producers to use Canada as a back door for cheap, dirty, or diverted imports. Enforce the rules, tighten the border, and defend our capacity to produce what this country needs.

If Washington wants access to our market, it must come with respect for fair trade and for the workers who keep our economy running. Canadian workers have been paying the price for political games in Washington. This time, we need the government to be ready to defend our jobs, industries, and communities.”

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, 416-938-4402, sdevine@usw.ca

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