Stelco Job Commitments: Ottawa Warns Cleveland-Cliffs as Layoffs Proceed
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the Hamilton steelmaker’s U.S. owner has breached promises made when it bought the company. Stelco says it has not, and the layoffs are going ahead.
Stelco job commitments are now the centre of a legal and political standoff between the Canadian government and the American company that owns the Hamilton steelmaker. On Friday 16 October 2026, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told a Toronto audience that Cleveland-Cliffs “must uphold its commitments, full stop”. She also warned that the company could be forced to sell its Canadian assets. Ottawa says the plan to idle part of Stelco’s Hamilton operations breaks promises tied to the 2024 takeover. The company, however, says it is acting within the terms it agreed to.
How the Dispute Began
Stelco annou...