Thank you very much for the question. I understand the importance of the Sault, knowing that if it weren't for the steel industry, the town would really be suffering.
When it gets to the question of the modernization of the trade remedies, we've made a submission along with the Canadian Steel Producers Association. We have a very good, close working relationship, and we see eye to eye on this.
We think it's important that workers have an involvement. We see time and time again that we have lost jobs. We have plants that have been idled because we have pipe coming from India or steel being dumped from China. We've had a trade case with respect to rebar that they are bringing to the shores of British Columbia. We went hand in hand with the CSPA. The time has come for the government to allow our workers that particular right.
The fact is that it rests on the global basis. I know there were some meetings recently on the Prime Minister's tour overseas. There were some discussions.
You have to reduce the capacity in China. They have 400 million tonnes of excess capacity. In the U.S., they have a much stronger trade remedy process, because they have the ability to file complaints, which we talk about. We want to be on equal footing. When they get turned back from the U.S., you know sure as hell that they are coming back in through the back door and somehow trying to get that into Canada.
It only makes sense to me that the government have a very clear policy with regard to dumping. The fact is that it's unfair dumping. We've seen it time and time again. I was born and raised in Saskatchewan, and I worked in the steel mills as one of my first jobs. I understand the importance of those particular jobs. These are good, decent-paying jobs. The steel industry is no longer a smokestack industry. It's viable. It provides high-skilled positions, and people can raise their families on them.
We have to work hard, and hopefully, with the recommendations coming, soon they will be able to stop this flood that's coming from China and elsewhere, until such time as we have a government that's prepared to stand up.
We understand you have to have trade, and it has to be fair trade. That's what we are really focusing on, and we are going to work as hard as we possibly can, because right now it doesn't look very.... We have the people in the Sault, and we also have the people in Hamilton. This has been a long process, and it has not been a pretty process.