Cleveland-Cliffs says Stelco in 'full compliance' with commitments to Ottawa, wants to meet with Joly

Cleveland-Cliffs says Stelco is fully honouring the commitments it made when it bought the steelmaker in 2024, and it wants to meet Industry Minister Mélanie Joly. Joly says the company broke two promises: keeping job levels, and advocating tariff-free access for Canadian steel in the U.S. She has given it 15 days to reverse layoffs before Ottawa turns to the courts.

• Cleveland-Cliffs, which bought Stelco in 2024, says it reviewed all 34 of its Investment Canada Act undertakings and is in full compliance — and that Stelco is doing better than the commitments made at the sale, including on jobs.
• Joly calls it a double violation: the job numbers were not kept, and a promise to push for tariff-free U.S. access for Canadian steel was broken — the company's CEO has publicly praised U.S. tariff policy instead.
• The clock is short: Ottawa gave the company 15 days last week to reverse the layoffs before the government turns to the courts, and Joly says a meeting comes only after a plan to bring the jobs back.
• The job stakes, as reported: the company has said it could lay off as many as 500 workers while idling some Hamilton production; unions expect 333 jobs lost in Hamilton and up to 50 at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke; the company says 175 temporarily laid-off Hamilton workers would return to full employment.
• The company blames U.S. tariffs squeezing steel sales and says the cuts are needed for Stelco to survive. Joly's answer: hard market conditions do not cancel binding commitments.
• Why it matters beyond Hamilton: the fight tests whether Ottawa will enforce, in court if needed, the job promises foreign buyers make when they acquire Canadian industrial companies.

Source: CBC News. Visit the CBCNEWSAPP for the full story.

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