Canada seeks meeting to address China’s WTO complaint over steel tariffs

Rolled coils of steel are shown at Algoma Steel Inc., in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Canada imposed a 25 per cent surtax on imports containing steel melted or poured in China. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Canada is defending its steel tariffs against China after Beijing lodged a complaint last week at the World Trade Organization.

Beijing is taking issue with Canada’s 25 per cent surtax on imports that contain steel melted or poured in China, calling the duties discriminatory and urging Ottawa to reverse course.

Prime Minister Mark Carney imposed the tariff last month in a bid to protect Canada’s domestic industry amid the United States’ global trade war and allegations of steel dumping from some foreign markets.

A spokesperson for International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu says Canada’s tariffs are in direct response to China’s efforts to act outside traditional market dynamics.

Sidhu’s communications director Huzaif Qaisar says Chinese overcapacity is undermining Canada’s steel sector and threatening Canadian jobs.

He says the tariffs are consistent with international trade obligations and Canada is pressing for a joint economic and trade commission meeting with China to put its concerns on the table.

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Craig Lord, The Canadian Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2025.