Melanie Joly stops in Stoney Creek as federal campaign trail reaches its final days

Steelworkers and union members gathered in Stoney Creek today for a meeting with federal candidate and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

Concern is at an all-time high for workers in the steel industry as U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on steel and other goods remain in place.

Around 24,000 people are employed by manufacturers in Hamilton – many of those in steel – and just last month, Stelco’s parent company laid off 1,200 workers in the U.S.
“We will make sure that we find ways to help workers, not only to get through this very difficult moment, but at the same time find a new job, get new skills, and make sure that ultimately they have access to a better job after that,” Joly said at a press conference in Stoney Creek.

Meanwhile, as the federal election nears its end, the leaders remained on the campaign trail to hammer home their policies.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made his first visit to Nova Scotia in the campaigning period, where he echoed Minister Joly’s statements of supporting Canadian, with a pledge to remove EV sales mandates.

“A Conservative government would bring real change and axe the federal sales tax on any vehicles made in Canada so that you can save by buying Canadian,” Poilievre said at a press conference.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney addressed reports that Trump spoke to him about making Canada the 51st state when the pair spoke last month.

“Look, the president says lots of things, but the essence of the discussion and where we moved the conversation to was exactly what I said – that he treated us with respect as a sovereign nation,” he said during an announcement.

In Winnipeg, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called Carney’s leadership abilities into question.

“In this election, don’t let Mark Carney have all the power,” Singh said.

“We know what Liberals do when they have all the power – they ignore working people, they give up on the folks that actually need to be supported. They’re willing to sacrifice what you care about.”

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