BURLINGTON — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Ottawa to sue Stelco owner Cleveland-Cliffs over employment commitments tied to its 2024 acquisition, making the demand the first part of a five-point economic plan presented Friday.

Poilievre announced the plan at a news conference in Burlington as the Hamilton-area steel sector faces layoffs and Statistics Canada reports broader weakness in the national labour market.

Call to enforce takeover commitments

The Conservative leader said the federal government should go to court to enforce commitments Cleveland-Cliffs made when Ottawa approved its purchase of Stelco. Those undertakings included maintaining unionized employment and retaining most non-union positions for a defined period.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has already given the company five business days to present a plan showing how it will honour the takeover conditions. She has warned that the government could pursue legal action if the commitments are not met.

Poilievre argued that a warning is insufficient and urged the minister to file a lawsuit Monday. No court has determined that Cleveland-Cliffs breached the undertakings, and no federal lawsuit had been announced as of Friday afternoon.

Four additional proposals

Poilievre’s remaining proposals call for stronger measures against what he described as Chinese steel dumping, removing the federal industrial carbon-pricing burden on Canadian steel production, preapproving liquefied-natural-gas projects to increase domestic demand for steel, and reaching a tariff-free trade agreement with the United States.

The announcement did not include legislation, negotiated trade terms or a court filing. Implementing the proposals would require federal action, and a tariff-free U.S. agreement would also depend on negotiations with Washington.

Up to 500 Stelco workers affected

Stelco has said as many as 500 workers at its Hamilton and Lake Erie operations could be affected as it idles finishing facilities. Cleveland-Cliffs has attributed the decision to U.S. tariffs and market pressures.

The dispute has become a test of the employment protections attached to foreign takeovers. Ottawa approved Cleveland-Cliffs’ acquisition of Stelco in 2024 under the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to seek enforcement of binding undertakings.

Friday’s announcement also followed Statistics Canada’s report that employment fell by 68,000 in September. Ontario lost approximately 20,000 jobs, while the national unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent.

For Hamilton, the immediate question is whether the company’s response to Ottawa preserves jobs or leads to formal enforcement. Poilievre’s plan adds political pressure but does not itself reverse the layoffs or change the takeover conditions.

Sources: CHCH News report, updated October 9 at 1:28 p.m. Eastern; The Canadian Press report on Ottawa’s enforcement deadline, October 6; Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, released October 9.

Lead image: AI-generated TNC archive illustration of the Hamilton steel industry; not a photograph of Friday’s announcement, Pierre Poilievre or affected workers.