Canadian steel and aluminum plants are facing a wave of job losses after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on March 12. According to Reuters, more than 200 workers have already been laid off<\/strong>, with further cuts expected in the coming weeks as the industry scrambles to adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marty Warren<\/strong>, national director of the United Steelworkers union, said the impact has been swift and severe. Companies like MPG Canada<\/strong> have already slashed 140 jobs across Ontario and Quebec, citing the threat of tariffs on steel and steel derivatives. The cuts include permanent and temporary layoffs, work share arrangements, and retirements. The company has also implemented a hiring freeze<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Algoma Steel<\/strong>, another key industry player, confirmed 20 layoffs and warned more could follow if domestic demand does not pick up. Workers like Scott Noseworthy<\/strong> at MPG Canada\u2019s Ivaco plant described the environment as \u201cstressful and uncertain,\u201d especially for families relying on stable employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response, Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/strong> has announced early access to employment insurance benefits<\/strong> for affected workers. A multibillion-dollar federal aid package has also been unveiled, along with a work-sharing program<\/strong> to help businesses retain staff by reducing hours rather than issuing layoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, labor advocates say these measures don\u2019t go far enough. Deena Ladd<\/strong>, of the Workers\u2019 Action Centre, is calling for enhanced employment insurance, longer benefit periods<\/strong>, and higher minimum weekly payments. \u201cMore comprehensive changes are needed,\u201d she told Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MPG Canada President Matt Walker<\/strong> echoed these concerns, urging Ottawa to implement retaliatory tariffs, stop unfair imports<\/strong>, and promote Canadian steel. \u201cA strong domestic steel industry is essential for economic sovereignty,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warren warned of a \u201ctidal wave\u201d<\/strong> of layoffs when the 30-day reprieve for North American trade-compliant goods ends on April 2. He estimates that up to 100,000 steelworkers could be affected<\/strong> if full tariffs take effect as planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The uncertainty has spread to other industries, especially Ontario\u2019s auto sector<\/strong>, which is bracing for potential 25% tariffs on cars and light trucks not made in the U.S. Industry leaders fear further disruption to Canada\u2019s manufacturing backbone if bilateral trade tensions remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the clock ticking, the next few months are crucial. Companies, workers, and policymakers will need to act decisively to blunt the fallout from Trump\u2019s protectionist trade agenda and stabilize Canada\u2019s steel and aluminum sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hundreds of layoffs signal deeper crisis ahead Canadian steel and aluminum plants are facing a wave of job losses after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on March 12. According to Reuters, more than 200 workers have already been laid off, with further cuts expected in the coming weeks as the industry scrambles to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[3730,3725,3731,3733,3724,3729,928,3727,3732,3734,3726,3735,3728,3085],"class_list":{"0":"post-6372","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-algoma-steel","9":"tag-aluminum-tariffs","10":"tag-auto-industry-impact","11":"tag-canada-steel-layoffs","12":"tag-canadian-manufacturing","13":"tag-employment-insurance","14":"tag-job-cuts","15":"tag-mark-carney","16":"tag-mpg-canada","17":"tag-retaliatory-tariffs","18":"tag-steel-tariffs","19":"tag-trade-uncertainty","20":"tag-trump-trade-war","21":"tag-u-s-tariffs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6374,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372\/revisions\/6374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guardianglobe.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Government response draws mixed reactions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
More layoffs loom as trade pressure intensifies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n