International Trade committee  In our field, competing companies are already established in the United States. They have already publicly stated that having a foothold on each side of the border provides them with significant benefits, as it allows them to make deals and avoid those tariffs. There are some qu

International Trade committee  We are very dependent on major projects. If, despite the increase in construction costs, we decide to carry out the major projects under way, such as the REM in Montreal, the Gordie Howe Bridge in Ontario and mining projects, we can work on them and the client will absorb the cos

International Trade committee  In Quebec, customers have adapted and are temporarily willing to pay more for steel for future projects. We bid on projects and set prices, and customers agree to pay more. My concern is about the major mining projects that require $1-billion investments, which will now cost $1.

International Trade committee  What would help us is if government assistance were not limited to the reimbursement of surtax, but rather was more of an adjustment to the cost on the world steel market and the cost of sourcing from Canada. In the meantime, we are more concerned that major projects using steel

International Trade committee  I would like to add that the Europeans have taken advantage of the cost increase in the United States to increase their own rates. For example, we could obtain supplies by paying $1 per pound in the United States and $0.95 in Europe. However, that cost increase is not a surtax on

International Trade committee  In connection with the program, we have read that reimbursement is possible if the steel is not available in Canada. Whether the steel is bought in Europe or the United States does not matter, because it can be available in Canada, but not in the quantities or sizes we need or wh

International Trade committee  The program is actually for Europe. The program reimburses the surtaxes, mainly for steel imported from the United States that is then re-exported to the United States. It is also possible to reimburse the surtax on steel imported from the United States that is processed and use

International Trade committee  We can either relocate the plants or get supplies of steel processed in the United States and work with European or Asian manufacturers to import processed steel to Canada.

International Trade committee  That depends on the type of contract. It is quite easy to find shapes and plates in Canada, but, with bridge construction projects, the plates are longer, thicker and bigger all round. They are not available in Canada. Almost all the steel we buy to build bridges, mainly in Quebe

International Trade committee  I do not agree that the price of steel is going up everywhere. What I said is it that the Canadian steel market is affected by the increase in price of steel from the United States. The Europeans who export to Canada have taken advantage of that increase to put up the price of th

International Trade committee  Good morning. The Groupe Proco is a general and specialist contractor with a head office located in Saint-Nazaire, in Saguenay—Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. In total, the Groupe Proco has 325 employees on different construction sites in Quebec. Our main raw material is steel. Each y