Alberta signs letter opposing steel tariffs

EDMONTON A group of 10 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, including Alberta, has sent a letter to Donald Trump decrying the U.S. president’s proposed tariff on steel and asking that Canada be exempted.

The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) sent the letter Wednesday to Trump, saying Canada deserves an exemption from any such tariff due to shared economic ties, supply chain integration and our mutual defence partnership.

The proposed 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum will have “unintended consequences” that will seriously impact jobs and local economies in both countries, the letter said.

PNWER vice-president Graham Sucha, NDP MLA for CalgaryShaw, said the group has been working across party lines on freetrade negotiations.

“We have state senators from both the Republicans and Democrats, so it was quite unprecedented for us to have a consensus on this issue where we both recognized that this would be damaging for both jobs in the U.S. and jobs in Canada,” Sucha said Wednesday.

Canada and the United States has created one of the world’s most enduring and prosperous international partnerships, he said, and it needs to be preserved.

“When we started these conversations (around NAFTA), it was very cordial and very evidence- and fact-based. We were able to mutually agree across party lines that ... we should take a strong stance against these tariffs,” Sucha said.

PNWER’s membership comprises Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

Alberta exports about $500 million in steel to the U.S. each year.