Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in Hamilton to talk tariffs and trade

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, says she remains confident that “common sense, in the United States, will prevail.”

Freeland adds that her hope is that such common sense happens “sooner rather than later.”

Freeland was questioned about U.S tariffs that remain in place on Canadian steel, as well as Canada’s counter-tariffs on American steel, during a visit to Hamilton on Thursday.

Freeland met with local steelmakers, chamber of commerce representatives and the Hamilton Port Authority, before touring Bunge Canada’s food processing plant on Burlington Street.

She notes that we are now hearing publicly from American businesses, workers and legislators who are calling for U.S. tariffs against Canada to be dropped.

Until that happens, Freeland stresses that Canada’s counter-tariffs on American steel will stay in place since “we acted to defend our steel industry and our steel workers, and we’re going to continue to do that.”