CSPA Welcomes Trade Tribunal Decision on Hot-Rolled Steel Imports

OTTAWA, Aug. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) welcomes today's decision by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) to extend its antidumping and countervailing duty finding on imports of hot-rolled steel sheet and strip from China, Brazil, India and Ukraine into Canada.

As the result of recent legislative changes made by the Federal Government for the purpose of strengthening Canada's ability to effectively remedy dumped and subsidized imports, this finding will now remain in effect until 2022.

The CITT announcement can be accessed at (www.citt.gc.ca)

We appreciate the CITT's confirmation through this ruling that fair-trade in imports of hot-rolled steel sheet and strip from the named countries will continue to be enforced," said CSPA President Joseph Galimberti. "It is vital for domestic steel producers and their employees that market-based competition in Canada is preserved. Today's ruling is a significant win for the 22,000 Canadians employed directly and the 100,000 employed indirectly in steel."

The CSPA and its member companies believe in fair and effective enforcement of trade remedy laws which support Canada's ability to quickly respond to dumped and subsidized imports. In light of the increased volume of unfairly traded goods entering the Canadian market, the CSPA views proceedings like this one as critical to ensuring our member companies and their employees are able to compete fairly in the global market.

"Our members will continue to monitor and aggressively defend against unfairly traded, dumped and subsidized steel through trade remedy actions which may include the filing of additional trade cases on hot-rolled, cold-rolled and coated flat products, rebar and other steel products," said CSPA Chairman Sean Donnelly. "We appreciate the new legislative tools the Federal Government has implemented and we look forward to additional modernization of the trade remedy framework as it will further enhance our ability to address unfair trade in Canada."

The CITT's finding also included a review by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) under Section 20 of the Special Imports Measures Act which found that non-market economy conditions continue to exist in the Chinese steel sector. This determination again demonstrates that government entities in the People's Republic of China continue to play a prominent role in the Chinese economy and validates the need for Canada's trade remedy system to ensure dumping from non-market economies is addressed effectively.

The finding by CBSA that India and Chinese Taipei are not likely to resume dumping hot-rolled steel sheet is disappointing. However, this decision is currently under review at the Federal Court of Appeal. If the appeal of CBSA's determination is successful, the CITT will be asked to reconsider the determination that hot-rolled sheet from India and Chinese Taipei is not likely to cause injury. In that instance, any imports from Chinese Taipei could be subject to retroactive anti-dumping duties of 77%. Indian imports continue to be subject to countervailing duties.

About CSPA:

The Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) is the national voice of Canada's $14B steel industry. Our member companies annually produce approximately 13 million tonnes of primary steel as well as over 1 million tonnes of steel pipe and tube products in facilities located across Canada. Domestic steel operations directly employ some 22,000 Canadians while supporting an additional 100,000 indirect jobs.

SOURCE Canadian Steel Producers Association

For further information: Media Contact: Joseph Galimberti, President, Canadian Steel Producers Association, 613-238-6049