
Quebec aluminum towns aren’t feeling the sting of 25 per cent U.S. tariffs
MONTREAL — Mayors of Quebec aluminum towns say they are confident their regions can withstand the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on the metal by U.S. President Donald Trump, with many saying it’s business as usual.
Layoffs aren’t expected at Aluminerie Alouette in Sept-Îles, Que., a major aluminum producer with some 950 employees, says the town’s mayor, Denis Miousse. The company, which describes itself as the biggest aluminum smelter on the continent, can find new export markets if demand weakens in the U.S., he said.
“Aluminerie Alouette can quickly turn and export to Asia, export everywhere in the world without really disturbing its operations,” said Miousse, who added that he still takes seriously the threat of job losses in the region along the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River.
About 170 kilometres southwest in Baie-Comeau, Que., Mayor Michel Desbiens, himself a former employee at the local smelter, says “nothing has changed.” Aluminum in his town, he said, “is being sold just as it was before Mr. Trump.”