I’m in Hamilton today to meet people who work very hard every day to grow and support the Canadian steel industry. I spent the day touring both Stelco and Dofasco, and checking out a lot of the innovative production happening here. It’s fair to say that these mills have been synonymous with Hamilton, Ontario, for a long time. It’s because of this city’s long and storied history that when people think of Canadian steel, they immediately think of Hamilton; a giant of manufacturing and industry, it has long been a key economic driver not only for the province, but for the entire country. And so it was a real privilege to meet with some of the folks who call steel town home.

This morning, I also participated in a round table discussion with reps from both companies, as well as members of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, the United Steel Workers, and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Eisenberger, and local MP’s Bob Bratina and Filomena Tassi also participated. We had a really great chat about the interconnectedness of Canada and U.S. steel trade. Companies on this side of the border represent a safe and secure source of steel and aluminium for the U.S. defence industry, as well as for many U.S. manufacturing companies, and our steel producers are key purchasers of raw materials from the U.S.

Indeed, major disruptions from the other side of our border to the importing and exporting of steel would result in job losses for Canadians and Americans. As our whole team has made the case to our American partner, and as I have repeated directly to President Trump, maintaining our current steel and aluminium supply chains is in everyone’s interest.

We all know that the Canada-U.S. trading partnership is one of the most successful in the world. A model for free trade, our nations understand that with economies as closely linked as ours, continued cooperation and collaboration is the only path forward. Our government will always stand up for Canadian steel and aluminium producers while of course promoting the long lasting stability across the Canada-U.S. trading relationship. Every step of the way in how we’ve engaged with the Americans, we have stood up for Canadian interests, we have stood up for Canadian jobs, we’ve stood up for great Canadian workers like we’re surrounded with today, and we will continue to. We’re going to be continuing to promote the great work that we’ve accomplished together as allies -- Canada and the United States in so many different ways -- and we’ll do that by standing up for Canadian interests, for Canadian jobs, and knowing that that has a positive impact on jobs right across the continent.