Former Ontario deputy minister weighs-in following PM Carney’s steel announcement

CHCH News anchor Matt Ingram speaks with former Ontario deputy minister Drew Fagan following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement Wednesday to target steel sourced from China with new tariffs.

Fagan was a former deputy minister with both the Ontario and the federal government, and is currently with the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Fagan spoke more on Carney’s pledge to stop more Chinese-made and other foreign steel from entering Canada, and how important of a step it was to shore up the domestic steel industry.

The prime minister said Wednesday that imports supply almost two-thirds of Canadian steel consumption compared to less than a third in the United States, and less than a sixth in Europe.

Ingram asked if Carney’s government should have done more to encourage Canadian consumption of local steel sooner.

They spoke about Carney’s comments this week about tariffs and trade deals with the U.S., and if there is any indication on how negotiations with America are going.

Finally, Ingram asked Fagan if he thought Canada would be able to reach a deal with the U.S. by the Aug. 1, deadline.

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