(Ottawa) The Minister of Industry, Mélanie Joly, says that the federal government discusses with the giant of Mines and metals Rio Tinto to help it overcome its liquidity problems caused by American customs duties on steel and aluminum.
During a visit to Saguenay on Thursday to meet companies in the crucial aluminum sector in the province, Mme Joly told journalists that Ottawa had started discussions with the company earlier this week.
Last month, American president Donald Trump doubled the global customs duties of his administration on steel and aluminum, bringing them to 50 %.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would present its response to this last salvo in the trade war on July 21, depending on the progress of negotiations between the two countries on this date.
Rio Tinto says he employ some 4,000 people in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region and plans to build a new alumina of 1.4 billion.
Alouette aluminum has announced on Friday that it will invest up to 1.5 billion in its facilities in Sept-Îles over the next 20 years.
The aluminum producer is committed to investing 750 million by 2030 for a total of at least 1.5 billion by 2045, as part of an agreement between the company, the Quebec government and Hydro-Québec.
