Evidence of meeting #62 for International Trade in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was industry.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Matthew Marchand  President and Chief Executive Officer, Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce
Huzaifa Saeed  Policy and Research Analyst, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
Rory Ring  Chief Executive Officer, Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce
Kalyan Ghosh  President and Chief Executive Officer, Essar Steel Algoma Inc.
Conrad Winkler  President and Chief Executive Officer, North America, Evraz
Roger Paiva  Vice-President and General Manager, Gerdau Long Steel North America
Michael McQuade  President and General Manager, Stelco Inc.
Trevor Harris  Director, Government and Public Affairs, Stelco Inc.

5:15 p.m.

Director, Government and Public Affairs, Stelco Inc.

Trevor Harris

There's a certain balance that we need to maintain. Where it becomes inequitable is when you look at the automotive sector, as an example, because they're so tightly integrated. When we sell our steel into a plant in the U.S., and we're trying to compete with an American plant, we're forced to absorb.... I'll put a price on it, and there isn't a standard price because of cap and trade, but call it $20 per tonne of steel of carbon charge. If the American competitor doesn't have that same charge, we need to find some way to equalize that integrated market so that we're competing on a level playing field.

Unfortunately, there is no answer for that today, so that's something we continue to work on the government about.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Sure. And we're doing a further study on NAFTA itself, and a lot of what we're talking about today is going to be foundational to what we discuss in NAFTA and the geopolitics of a strong North American market pressing back against the growing economies like China, India, and so on. So what you're saying today is very important.

Have you noticed a significant demand for your domestic consumption, for infrastructure, last year? Have you really seen an uptick in demand for structural steel, bridges, and pipe? I know there's some pipe going in, Mr. Winkler.

5:15 p.m.

President and Chief Executive Officer, North America, Evraz

Conrad Winkler

First of all, we definitely applaud the actions around the pipeline infrastructure approvals that occurred in Canada. Those could potentially have an enormous effect. Eventually, when constructed, those will be great.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

Keystone included.

5:20 p.m.

President and Chief Executive Officer, North America, Evraz

Conrad Winkler

Well, the pipe is already produced for Keystone, so that won't—

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Gerry Ritz Conservative Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK

It's already sitting in the yards right through my area.

5:20 p.m.

President and Chief Executive Officer, North America, Evraz

Conrad Winkler

Exactly. So the Keystone pipe is already out there.

But clearly the infrastructure around the pipelines, and that balanced development, is really critical for our future. When you think about things like making over $200-million investments in the very high-tech things that we were talking about, that's really a very critical part of that. I'll speak to that.

5:20 p.m.

Vice-President and General Manager, Gerdau Long Steel North America

Roger Paiva

I could just say in the case of Gerdau, of rebar, the reality is the country used more rebar and our market share went down.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Randy Hoback

Mr. Ritz, I'm going to have to stop you there. I do apologize to the witnesses. I feel like we've shortchanged you here, which isn't fair, but that's the way the parliamentary system works here, good or bad. It's generally good.

We appreciate your testimony here today. If you have any more written submissions, I would encourage you to get them to the clerk, and then we'll include them in our report also.

Thank you for your time, and I will adjourn this meeting now.