Canada Roundup: U.S. Tariff Relief, Stelco Job Dispute, PHP Cyber Alert, Maple Syrup Shortage and Critical Minerals Risk
Recent developments in Canada include the U.S. dropping tariffs on nine categories of Canadian products, a federal ultimatum to Cleveland-Cliffs over Stelco jobs, a critical PHP cybersecurity vulnerability, near-depletion of the strategic maple syrup reserve, and government backing of risky early-stage critical minerals projects.
Maine Senator Susan Collins successfully lobbied the Trump administration to drop tariffs on nine categories of Canadian products. The exempted items include seaweed, packaging materials for fruit farmers, paperboard cartons, plastic crates, plastic bags, refrigeration equipment, agricultural sorting machinery, and non-adhesive foil.
In Ontario, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly sent a letter to Cleveland-Cliffs giving the company 15 days to honour job commitments at Stelco or face potential legal action. Cleveland-Cliffs plans to lay off up to 500 Ontario workers, which Ottawa claims violates a promise to maintain unionized employee numbers for five years. During a conference call following third-quarter earnings, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney and praised U.S. President Donald Trump.
A serious vulnerability was found in PHP, an open-source programming language, causing many websites worldwide to close temporarily. The vulnerabilities allow for remote code execution, enabling attackers to control web servers without physical access. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security instructed organizations to immediately update applications addressing flaws in PHP or take them offline.
Canada’s official maple syrup reserve is nearly empty due to a surge in demand that has drained supply to levels not seen in over a decade. The Quebec maple syrup industry, worth about $1.2-billion annually, maintains its stockpile through the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (PPAQ). PPAQ deputy director-general Simon Doré-Ouellet stated that remaining syrup sold under contract will be gone by the end of next February. Maple syrup warehouses in Quebec have a combined capacity of 133 million pounds but are currently being drawn down by bulk buyers and processors.
Ottawa is backing early-stage critical minerals mining projects involving graphite, palladium, dysprosium, and terbium, despite significant financial risks. Many of these government-backed critical minerals projects are led by junior companies rather than transnational players.