Trump says he will announce 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, on Monday

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U.S. President Donald Trump said that on Monday he will announce plans for 25-per-cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada – a move that could have devastating consequences for both industries in Canada, which rely on U.S. markets.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on his way to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Mr. Trump said that the tariffs would apply to “any steel coming into the United States,” and “aluminum too.” Canada is the largest international supplier of both metals to the U.S. Mr. Trump did not specify when the tariffs would take effect and provided no additional details.

He also said he will announce “reciprocal” tariffs on countries that impose levies on U.S. goods, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday.

This is the latest protectionist thrust by the President, who has spent his first three weeks in office threatening trade wars against both allies and adversaries. Right out of the gate, he promised tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico, but backed down last Monday after the countries made some concessions on border security.

The Canadian government had no forewarning of Mr. Trump’s intention to move so quickly on steel and aluminum tariffs, a senior federal official told The Globe and Mail. The Globe is not identifying the source because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne responded to Mr. Trump’s comments in a social-media post on Sunday evening, noting how much the United States relies on Canadian metals.

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“Let’s all be clear. Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the U.S. from defence, shipbuilding and auto,” Mr. Champagne said. " This is making North America more competitive and secure.”

He added, Ottawa “will continue to stand up for Canada, our workers, and our industries.”

Mr. Trump put 25-per-cent tariffs on steel, and 10-per-cent tariffs on aluminum, from Canada during his first presidency, but lifted them after about a year. Canada retaliated with its own tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum as well as a range of other products.

Both industries in Canada are heavily reliant on the United States as their principal market, making tariffs hugely disruptive. Steel exports from Canada to the U.S fell by 38 per cent in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Trump’s imposition of tariffs in 2018.

Canada sent 6.2 million tonnes of steel, around half of the country’s total production, south across the border in 2023. This is used in the U.S. automotive, energy and construction industries. The industry directly employs around 23,000 people in Canada, mostly in Ontario.

The steel industry is particularly captive to the U.S. market, as global markets have been flooded with low-cost Chinese steel, and shipping costs are expensive for the heavy metal.

Catherine Cobden, CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, said it would be “baseless and unwarranted” for Mr. Trump to impose tariffs on steel from Canada. She said Canada would be obliged to “retaliate immediately” if Washington acted.

“We are deeply concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump is again threatening more tariffs on Canada, this time directly targeting the steel and aluminum sectors,” Ms. Cobden said in a statement. “When President Trump implemented tariffs on Canadian steel in 2018, we saw massive disruptions and harm on both sides of the border, hurting both America and Canada.”

“We are urgently demanding that the government of Canada act again with resolve and purpose to combat this threat and ensure any measure taken against our sector is met with retaliatory measures and action to offset the devastating impacts tariffs would have on our sector and our workers,” she said.

The major steelmakers in Canada are Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.-based Algoma Steel; U.S. company Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., owner of Stelco; and Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, owner of Dofasco.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and have been in close consultation with the government regarding the challenges this will present to Algoma Steel and the Canadian Steel industry,” Algoma spokesperson Laura Devoni said in a statement.

Canada’s aluminum industry is in a slightly better spot. Canada sends almost three million tonnes of aluminum to the United States every year, supplying more than half of America’s annual aluminum needs, and the industry employs around 9,500 people, mostly in Quebec.

In the event of tariffs, however, the sector would be able to pass on some price increases to some customers and shift a significant amount of its business to other markets over time, Jean Simard, president of the Aluminium Association of Canada, told The Globe last week.

The association said in a statement on Sunday that it would wait for more details before commenting on Mr. Trump’s latest remarks.

The biggest producers of aluminum in Canada are Anglo Australian miner Rio Tinto PLC, Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Corp. and privately held Quebec-based Aluminerie Alouette.

“Quebec exports 2.9 million tons of aluminum to the U.S., that is, 60 per cent of their needs. Do they prefer to get supplies from China?” Quebec Premier François Legault said on X. “All this shows that we must begin to renegotiate our free trade agreement with the United States as soon as possible and not wait for the review planned for 2026. We must put an end to this uncertainty.”

American steel companies and unions have long pushed for protection of the U.S. steel industry. This has ramped up in recent years, as China has pushed more low-cost steel onto global markets. American officials have become concerned that Canada and Mexico have become backdoors for Chinese steel entering the North American market – something both countries dispute.

Ms. Cobden said Canada has worked hard to align its trade policy with that of the United States to protect both markets from unfair trade that threatens jobs and communities. “For example, Canada implemented its own Section 53 tariffs on Chinese steel imports and a monitoring system of all imports to ensure it can identify the country of melt and pour,” she said.

Joy Nott, trade and customs partner at KPMG Canada, said it’s unclear why Canada would be targeted in this latest action.

“The last time there was a dispute over steel and aluminum, Canada implemented a program through Global Affairs to monitor the import of carbon steel semi-finished products and stainless steel flat rolled products,” Ms. Nott said in an e-mail.

“We agreed to this monitoring program during the 2019 negotiation to lift the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and that hasn’t changed.”

In late 2024, the U.S. blocked a bid by Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. to acquire U.S. Steel Corp. However, last week, Mr. Trump said that the Japanese company was still planning to make an investment in the American company, without taking full ownership.

Mr. Trump did not elaborate on his plans to put what he called “reciprocal” tariffs on other countries later this week. He floated the idea on Friday, saying that the U.S. would be looking to match tariffs one-for-one that other countries place on U.S. goods.

“I think that’s the only fair way to do it, that way nobody’s hurt,” Mr. Trump said at a press conference on Friday. “They charge us. We charge them. It’s the same thing. And I seem to be going in that line, as opposed to a flat-fee tariff.”

With reports from Niall McGee and Associated Press

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article stated that Canada sends 10 million tonnes of steel to the U.S. every year. The actual number was 6.2 million tonnes in 2023.