Trump’s latest tariff attack shows Canada must build its own industrial strength

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TORONTO , July 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — United Steelworkers union (USW) Canadian National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s announcement of new 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian products:

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“President Trump has once again chosen confrontation over co-operation, directly threatening the livelihood of Canadian workers, and the future of industries and communities directly with another sweeping round of tariffs on Canadian products.

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The USW is particularly concerned with the Trump administration’s targeting of Canadian forest and wood products in this latest round of tariffs. Canadian forestry workers and producers are already under immense pressure because of illegal U.S. section 232 tariffs and unreasonable anti-dumping duties.

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These measures have nothing to do with fair trade and everything to do with leverage. They are another attempt to use economic coercion to force Canada into concessions that serve the interests of the United States.

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When countries negotiate and sign an agreement such as CUSMA, each party should be expected to respect and honour its commitments. Reaching back to legislation from the 1930s and other measures deemed illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court to sidestep the agreement is both disappointing and shameful. It undermines confidence in the United States as a reliable trading partner and does not bode well for any future agreement.

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The federal government should continue to negotiate, but we cannot be bullied into accepting a deal that sacrifices Canadian jobs, industries or our ability to make decisions in our own national interest. No deal is better than a bad deal.

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This latest escalation is further proof that Canada can no longer assume reliable access to the U.S. market or build its economic strategy around decisions made in Washington.

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Canada must draw the right lesson from this latest attack and respond accordingly. We need to build domestic resilience – that is the key to long term independence. We must invest in our own industrial capacity, produce more of what we need domestically and use public spending to create Canadian jobs and strengthen Canadian supply chains.

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We also need Canada must double down on diversifying our economy and trade relationships, building stronger ties with reliable partners and opening new markets for Canadian products. Diversification will take time, but it is essential to reducing our vulnerability to future threats and securing good Canadian jobs for the long term.
That means moving forward with strategic investments in steel, aluminum, forestry, manufacturing, and other critical industries. It means building major infrastructure, housing, transportation, energy and defence projects with Canadian materials and Canadian workers.