The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) removed Section 232 tariffs on P1020 aluminum (non-alloyed, unwrought primary aluminum), following consultations with the Canadian government. This is based on the USTR’s determination that trade of P1020 aluminum would normalize by the end of 2020, with average monthly imports declining by 50% from the monthly average in the period of January through July. This projected decline in shipments is inline with aluminum industry expectations.
“Removing these disruptive and unnecessary tariffs on Canadian aluminum was the right decision for the U.S. aluminum industry and its 162,000 workers,” said Tom Dobbins, president & CEO of the Aluminum Association. “The Aluminum Association and its members support tariff and quota free trade within North America consistent with the recently implemented U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Especially as the industry continues to recover from the worst of the COVID-driven demand disruptions, it is vital that we keep North American aluminum supply chains open and unencumbered.”
The Aluminum Association, the Aluminium Association of Canada, more than fifteen U.S. aluminum industry CEOs, organized labor groups, and countless industry groups all support the continued free flow of metal in North America consistent with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Both Canada and the U.S. have shown a strong commitment to trade enforcement by investing in aluminum import monitoring systems. The Aluminum Association and the Aluminium Association of Canada support continued import monitoring throughout the USMCA region including Mexico.
“Canada’s aluminum industry is glad to regain its continued tariff free entry into the U.S. market, as it strives to meet its integrated value chain requirements in a post-COVID recovery,” said Jean Simard, president & CEO of the Aluminium Association of Canada. “Our shared future through a renewed [USMCA] rightly deserves our best effort on behalf of our workers, their families and their communities.’’