NDP MOTION PASSES: FINANCE MINISTER MUST IMPLEMENT STEEL SAFEGUARD MEASURES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

NDP MOTION PASSES: FINANCE MINISTER MUST IMPLEMENT STEEL SAFEGUARD MEASURES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

OTTAWA – Today, in the House of Commons, an NDP motion calling on the Minister of Finance to implement permanent safeguard measures to protect Canada’s steel industry passed unanimously.

“The passing of the NDP motion sends a strong message to the Liberal government that we can no longer sit still while thousands of jobs in our steel sector are in jeopardy,” said the NDP Critic for International Trade, Tracey Ramsey. “The illegal dumping of dirty steel by foreign countries in Canada is hurting workers, businesses and communities. The Finance Minister must act urgently before it’s too late and implement the safeguard measures.” 

The NDP motion urges the Finance Minister to follow the lead of European Union in implementing the steel safeguard measures to protect workers. The deadline Canada is up against to put in place those measures is April 27, 2019. The Minister of Finance must act now to avoid putting at risk Canadian jobs in the steel sector.

The motion that was passed today reads as follows:

“That, given that many of the 23, 000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs of the Canadian steel industry are at risk and that many of our economic partners, like the European Union, protect workers with permanent safeguard measures, the House urge the Minister of Finance to implement permanent safeguards measures for our steel industry immediately to avoid a deadline of April 27, 2019.”