Sask. premier calls looming 'trade war' unproductive, supports Ottawa's move to add retaliatory tariffs

Saskatchewan's premier says at first glance, he supports Ottawa's move to slap retaliatory tariffs on a whole host of goods from the U.S. 

Scott Moe said Thursday he was disappointed to learn of the U.S. plan to follow through on imposing tariffs of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on imported aluminum, and said he spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the matter the day before. 

"I don't think any trade war is productive in any way. I don't think any trade tariffs, quite frankly, unnecessary trade tariffs, are productive in any way," Moe said, adding he stands with the federal government's decision to impose dollar-for-dollar tariffs of its own on everything from steel products to maple syrup.

"These are not productive times when we have tariffs going both ways."

Despite the earlier phone call with the prime minister, Moe said he was not made aware of the federal government's move to hit back with such countermeasures.

"I was disappointed this morning [Thursday] to see the U.S. government move with their tariffs. I won't say I'm surprised by the federal government's move, although things have been moving pretty quickly here this morning."

Moe said looking at the list of products subject to Canada's tariffs, set to kick in in July, prepared mustard caught his eye for possibly having an impact here in Saskatchewan. 

'Can't just let a bully be a bully': Steelworkers

Moe told reporters he spoke briefly with the CEO and president of Evraz Steel and said they would speak again. He also said he would be speaking with officials from Ottawa. 

Evraz employs about 1,000 people at its Regina steel plant, and is the biggest steel producer in Western Canada.

Mike Day, president of the United Steelworkers Local 5890, said the prevailing emotion right now among steelworkers is shock, given the long history Canada and the United States have as allies and trading partners.

"We're not the bad guys in this. We play by the rules," he said, comparing Canada to countries like China, which has been accused of dumping steel products in North America. 

Day noted his fellow steelworkers are facing uncertainty, both on the tariff front and on the building of pipelines.

Evraz is the biggest producer of large diameter pipe, not just in Canada, but in North America, and typically sends a lot of its product to the United States, he said.

We gotta punch a bully back in the nose, stand up for yourself.- Mike Day, United Steelworkers Local 5890

"We've got overcapacity right now of pipe that's supposed to be shipped, and it's supposed to be shipped down south," Day said, noting he's unsure what will happen now, and how consumers and workers will be affected by new tariff measures.

However, he believes the end result will only be "chaos," saying he supported the Liberals' decision to fight back with retaliatory tariffs.

"We got to do something. We can't just let a bully be a bully here," said Day. "We gotta punch a bully back in the nose, stand up for yourself."

Mayor hopes for 'cooler heads' 

Like Moe and Day, Regina Mayor Michael Fougere supported the federal government's move, calling it a prudent response to a "very aggressive" U.S. action.

While American tariffs come into play as of midnight on June 1, the Canadian tariffs will only be introduced on July 1, noted Fougere.

"There's an opportunity for cooler heads to prevail." 

But as it stands, the potential for protectionism is ramping up, not just between Canada and the United States, but with other trading partners such as Europe and China, said Fougere.

"We're seeing a major shift in trade relations happening around the world," he said. "Anyone watching, even a casual observer, should be concerned about this."

The premier plans to go to Washington next week to meet with three senior officials from the Trump administration, as well as five senators and five congressmen.

Moe said the meeting had already been in the works, but said news of the tariffs only increases the need to talk with lawmakers in the U.S.