The leader of the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) has an important message for members of Canada’s deep foundation construction industry. “Our domestic steel industry can absolutely supply you with the steel you need,” said CSPA president and CEO Catherine Cobden. “In fact, we have the capability to produce 80 per cent of the steel that was previously imported, and we could replace that imported steel with domestic steel right away.”
Cobden also emphasizes that recently announced trade measures to protect the Canadian steel industry apply only to products that are made here. “So, if you need to buy a construction beam that isn’t produced here in Canada, for example, that wouldn’t be included in any of the border measures. That is a fundamental message I want to get across to engineers, developers and contractors.”
The CSPA’s 17 member companies represent all Canadian steel producers, as well as some of the country’s biggest steel consumers. The association speaks with one voice on important matters like government policy and strategic direction, says Cobden. That voice has never been more important, as Canadian steel producers are battered by broad-based U.S. sectoral tariffs.
“We’re in a serious decline,” said Cobden during an interview with Piling Canada. “The situation is very dire. Since March [2025], we’ve had the impact of progressively more intense tariffs from the U.S. on our industry. Our shipments had declined by over 40 per cent as of the end of October [2025], compared to last year. This has seen the industry lose jobs, curtail production and stall investment.”
“Down the road, we hope the conditions exist for us to demonstrate to the U.S. that we’re stronger working together against global overcapacity than separately, but in the meantime we cannot wait for negotiations to move.”
Catherine Cobden, Canadian Steel Producers Association
She says that pre-tariffs, the Canadian steel industry produced about 12 million metric tons of steel annually. In 2024, half of that was sold to the domestic Canadian market, while six million tonnes went south to the U.S. Now, the U.S. market has essentially dried up, sending shock waves through Canadian steel manufacturing sites. On top of the tariffs, markets worldwide were already dealing with global steel overcapacity. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, continued production expansion – despite a weaker overall demand for steel in recent years – is expected to result in a global excess of 721 million metric tons of steel by 2027.
“The impacts of the tariffs have been significant, but so too has been the dumping of steel in the Canadian market,” said Cobden. “We’ve been working for many years to strengthen Canada’s trade approaches. But now, with global overcapacity reaching the levels it’s reaching, trade protection mechanisms are insufficient to keep pace.”
Unfair trade has a devastating effect on the Canadian steel industry. Cobden hopes new government policies will provide protection as producers transition their focus to a domestic-only market. On Nov. 26, 2025, the federal government announced a range of new and strengthened measures designed to support Canada’s steel industry. Tariff rate quotas – the volume of steel permitted to be imported tariff-free – were reduced effective Dec. 26, 2025, while new tariffs were applied to the full value of certain steel derivative products from all countries. The products on that list are already made here in Canada, thereby encouraging domestic production.
In addition, tougher border measures will be enacted to combat foreign steel dumping. The CSPA will work with the Canada Border Services Agency to deliver recurring technical workshops for border employees, providing information to help them support enforcement and compliance measures. A 50 per cent freight rate discount will also be applied to all shipments of Canadian steel travelling by rail across the country. Finally, as Canada turns its attention to so-called “nation-building projects,” it is implementing a new Buy Canadian policy to prioritize the use of Canadian-made materials in all contracts valued over $25 million.
Cobden is encouraged by the new measures. “We need tools like Buy Canadian and strengthened border measures to build domestic demand for domestic steel. I’m hopeful that what we’ve seen announced in the various federal trade packages for steel will give us some room to breathe,” she said. “Will it give us room to grow? No. But the way I look at this is, the trade measures will help us survive.”
Looking down the road, the CSPA hopes the Buy Canadian policy will help Canada’s steel producers become more economically sustainable. Cobden says the domestic market will be the key to that sustainability. “Our strategy for the moment is to do what we can to control and build businesses that we can within the domestic market. If there’s an agreement with the U.S., if one emerges, there is some question on what it would mean for the steel industry. Also, there is some question as to whether it would last,” she said. “Therefore, the only strategy we have is to pivot the domestic market as quickly as possible.”
Cobden says the CSPA appreciates strong government support for the domestic steel industry. “Down the road, we hope the conditions exist for us to demonstrate to the U.S. that we’re stronger working together against global overcapacity than separately, but in the meantime we cannot wait for negotiations to move,” she said. There’s no doubt that a vibrant domestic steel industry is a strategic and important asset for any country. “A strong steel sector is also key to national security, as it is an input into defence products and critical energy infrastructure,” reads the federal government announcement of Nov. 26, 2025.
As Canada moves towards a nation-building agenda, opportunities are taking shape for the national steel industry. “I think certain contractors and proponents of projects are aware of the Buy Canadian policy,” said Cobden. “We’re already seeing the beginnings of key actors in the infrastructure space reaching out to start discussions. We certainly hope provincial, municipal and private projects look at domestic steel first.”