Sask NDP and the United Steelworkers union are calling on the Saskatchewan government to take swift action in response to a 25% tariff on Canadian steel by President Donald Trump.
Mike Day, president of United Steelworkers Local 5890, says workers on both sides of the border will suffer if the tariffs go ahead.
“Today is a day we saw coming but hoped would never arrive,” said Day at a press conference.
“My message to Donald Trump is simple: you have to stop. You’re hurting both the Canadian economy and the American economy. And my message to Scott Moe is: step up. Bring forward a plan, something I can take back to my members to show them your government gives a damn. Right now, I see nothing from this premier and his government. No plan to get us out of this mess. No plan to help workers while we’re in it. Saskatchewan workers deserve so much better."
NDP Jobs and Economy Critic Aleana Young says Saskatchewan must respond by making sure steel jobs stay at home.
“It’s steelworkers who will bear the brunt of these tariffs, and they deserve support,” said Young.
“They deserve a government that will fight back and take bold action to secure Saskatchewan’s economic future.”
Energy and Resources Critic Sally Housser wants to see a cross-Canada effort to build a pipeline to the East Coast, suggesting it be built using Saskatchewan steel.
“This is about focusing on a future that we control,” said Housser. “It’s about delivering economic prosperity for future generations. It’s about ensuring that no one — and especially not Donald Trump — can hold the Canadian economy hostage again.”