According to local news reports, members of the Windsor-Essex, Hamilton, and Sault Ste. Marie Chambers of Commerce urged the Canadian government to act on Chinese steel dumping during testimony before members of the House of Commons standing committee on international trade in Ottawa on Tuesday.
The Chambers said China does not adhere to the same environmental standards and basic labour laws as Canadian companies, and without a level playing field, Canada cannot compete in the global steel industry.
“The instability of the steel market, in large part due to China's steel dumping and non-market economy, has led to the sharp decline in the ability of our steel industry to compete globally, costing middle-class jobs,” said Matt Marchand, president and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce.
In response to the Chambers’ testimony, Atlas Tube owner Barry Zekelman commented to media that China is dumping steel on the global market at a drastically reduced cost by ignoring environmental protection measures, and “shoddy practices” in China threaten Canadian steel jobs.
“All the countries that are being hurt by China have to push back on China and restrict their shipments of steel and steel-related products into those countries,” Zekelman said.