Industry groups in sectors hurt by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada are asking Prime Minister Mark Carney to step in urgently to protect Canadian jobs.
Carney was sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister on Friday morning with the shadow of a trade war looming over his transition from Justin Trudeau, who resigned earlier in the day.
The United Steelworkers Union, which has 225,000 members in the steel industry across Canada, welcomed Carney to the top job.
The union said Carney’s ascension in the middle of an escalating trade war calls for urgent action.
“The federal government must immediately strengthen support for affected workers by fixing Employment Insurance (EI) and introducing direct wage subsidies with job guarantees to keep people employed. Canada also needs bold investment in domestic manufacturing and infrastructure to secure long-term industrial stability,” USW national director Marty Warren said.
Warren said steelworkers were ready to work with Carney’s administration, but they “won’t accept half-measures.”
The construction industry, which could see some of its supply chains threatened in Trump’s trade war, also welcomed Carney to the office.
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“During his leadership campaign, Prime Minister Carney made various promises, including building more homes, expanding clean energy systems, and strengthening trade-enabling infrastructure. Canada’s construction industry strongly supports these priorities and is ready to work and collaborate with the federal government to make it happen,” said Rodrigue Gilbert, president of the Canadian Construction Association.
Carney’s new cabinet includes several ministers who were dealing with the U.S. administration on trying to find an end to the U.S. president’s tariffs.
These include Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who remain in their roles from the previous cabinet.
Dominic LeBlanc will remain as minister of intergovernmental affairs and also becomes minister of international trade, while his finance portfolio goes to François-Philippe Champagne, who is the new finance minister.
LeBlanc and Champagne were in Washington, D.C., Thursday, along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, meeting U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Lutnick said in a read-out issued Thursday night: “By building balanced and fair relationships that eliminate the current status quo of overwhelming trade deficits and crushing foreign restrictions, the Trump Administration will help U.S. companies, large and small, prosper in the global marketplace.”
The trade deficit for the U.S. with Canada is because of the high energy needs of the U.S. economy.
Without Canadian energy exports, the trade relationship is reversed. The U.S. enjoys a trade surplus of around $60 billion in its relationship with Canada when one doesn’t count energy exports.
