A recently released research paper from the United Steelworkers (USW), The Case for Canada’s Steel Industry, raises a couple of concerns that need to be part of any decision around supporting the steel industry in Canada.

Successive Canadian governments have claimed that trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership were necessary to build Canada’s economy. Long-standing concerns about the impact on labour standards, environmental regulations and the ability of federal and provincial governments to engage in economic development have been dismissed.

Recently, however, a new concern has emerged.

An entire province facing gas shortages for as much as a week is yet another reminder that when things are left to the markets, we have no control over how fuel and other commodities are supplied to us. And when there are shortages of commodities we depend on, we can suddenly be very vulnerable.

While the focus was on changes to employment standards legislation, a recent CCPA study and Toronto Star article showed how Ontario is losing middle income jobs.