HOUSTON, TEXAS (Editors at Energy Analytics Institute, 2.Feb.2025) — Canada’s aluminium industry finds unfortunate and highly disruptive the 25% tariffs announced by the administration of US president Donald Trump.
“We are disappointed, but we were expecting this and are ready for it,” Aluminium Association of Canada president and CEO Jean Simard said 2 Feb. 2025 in an official statement released by the association. “This situation will unfortunately impact workers and consumers in America with the immediate increase on the price of aluminium.”
Aluminium is part of Canada’s list of 31 critical minerals recognized to be essential to Canada’s economic security required for the transition to a low-carbon economy and a sustainable source of critical minerals for its partners, according to the association.

Approximately 9,500 Canadian aluminium workers produce metal that is processed, transformed and fabricated into parts, components, and everyday products by over 500,000 well-paid American manufacturing workers, Simard said, generating more than $200bn in economic output in the US economy alone.
“Our economies are integrated because it makes sense, because it benefits workers, consumers, and communities on both sides of the border,” Simard said. “As we have done in the past, industry and governments will work hand-in-hand to maintain our domestic aluminium industrial ecosystem, a 100-year-old plus legacy, contributing to North America’s defense and economic security.”
Simard said Canada and the US need to address the impacts of unfair Chinese trading practices stemming from massive state subsidies on the entire aluminium ecosystem.
“These non-market policies and practices of the last two decades have hurt our workers and businesses, shuttered smelters, and made it harder for our responsibly produced metal to compete. Canada will not be a transshipment risk or a vector for trade practices that could harm our collective economic security,” Simard said.
“We have been working very closely with US government and industry to align our trade tool kit to protect fortress North America, including the most recent implementation of 25% surtax on imports of China’s aluminium products,” Simard said.
Canadian governments steps in the last 5 years
Other measures taken by the Canadian government in the last 5 years include:
— In 2024, Canada provided $10.5mn over 3 years for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to create a dedicated Market Watch Unit,
— Canada created a new regime to address circumvention and providing more flexibility to apply higher dumping duty rates when there are market distortions,
— In 2019, Canada created and implemented an aluminium imports monitoring system, and
— Developed and implemented the world’s first and only operating aluminium digital traceability system, ensuring real-time tracking of metal shipments coming out of the gate.
“This is why Canadian aluminium must remain exempt of any tariffs, because of its strategic role within North America’s integrated industrial value chain. While the US produces, at best, one million metric tons a year of primary metal, it consumes six times that amount. Imposing tariffs will only raise costs for US consumers and businesses in the middle of inflation reduction efforts,” Simard said.

____________________
By Editors at Energy Analytics Institute. © 2025 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.