The Logic: Canada’s harder line on foreign steel a key step toward a deal with U.S., says LeBlanc
Guarding the Canadian market from flooding with cheap foreign steel and aluminum may help the federal government reach an economic and security deal with the United States, says Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Canadian intergovernmental affairs. Canada is quick to help the U.S. deal with non-market economies, which Americans have acknowledged, and LeBlanc has tried to leverage, in negotiations. LeBlanc said working together to “deal” with the threats of non-market economies is in the interest of national security of both countries. However, the U.S. has criticized Canada’s allowance of untarriffed unfinished metals to enter the country regardless of their origin. Canada’s steel industry has expressed similar sentiments because it forces them to compete for domestic sales, and worsens overcapacity issues.