In a press release Friday, the Canadian Coalition for Construction Steel (CCCS) said it welcomes the release by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (the Tribunal) of its report and recommendations that Canada should not continue safeguard measures (tariffs or quotas) on imported rebar. The CCCS also called on the Canadian government to carefully review the Tribunal's report and give fair consideration to the Tribunal's recommendations.
The CCCS said it participated “extensively” in the Tribunal's inquiry, “providing the Tribunal with crucial evidence about the state of the Canadian construction market and health of the domestic steel industry that the CCCS argued was not injured or threatened with injury from imports.”
Members of the CCCS appeared as witnesses before the Tribunal and gave evidence about the negative effects that continued tariffs and quotas would have on the Canadian construction industry and its tens of thousands of workers, the largest sector of middle class workers in Canada, according to the CCCS.
The Government has until May 13, 2019 to decide whether to accept or reject the Tribunal's recommendations. The CCCS said it is expecting the Minister of Finance to give “fair and careful consideration” to the Tribunal's detailed analysis and recommendations, adding that “the continuation of exceptional quotas and tariffs on fairly traded steel imports would harm the Canadian construction sector and the thousands of Canadian workers it employs.”