A Saskatoon-based steel company is focused on local clients, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens heavy tariffs on Canadian steel.
Supreme Steel President David Fritz said the company will adapt to the potential tariffs.
“We’re dynamic and we’re going to find the work. We’ve been really successful finding work domestically, so that would be where we shift our focus,” Fritz said.
“We don’t have time to sit and wait and see.”
Trump announced he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports.
On Tuesday, a White House official confirmed the tariffs would be stacked on other levies. It would mean tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum entering the U.S. would total 50 per cent.
Supreme Steel has fabricated and installed steel for big industrial projects in the U.S. — including Seattle’s Safeco Field, Century Link Field and Portland’s Moda Center.
The exchange rate has benefitted American companies buying Canadian steel, according to Fritz.
“And now with the tariffs, especially as high as 50 per cent, it would no longer make it viable to buy that fabricated product from Canada,” Fritz said.
“This is a disruptor, certainly.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe was in Washington on Wednesday, along with Canada’s 12 other provincial leaders.
The premiers are highlighting the strong relationship between the two countries, hoping to sway lawmakers from imposing the tariffs.
As friction forms between Canada and the U.S., Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is suggesting the province prop up local companies.
“We have our economy and jobs being held hostage,” Beck told journalists.
“We need to take measures, take things into our own hands and support businesses and manufacturing here at home.”
The U.S. is Saskatchewan’s largest trading partner, about $40 billion worth of goods cross in and out of the province’s southern border each year.
