Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is pressing Cleveland-Cliffs to reverse layoffs affecting about 500 Stelco workers, arguing the cuts violate the agreement the company signed when it acquired Stelco in 2024, CityNews reports.

The Ohio-based steel producer disputes that claim, saying it has not broken any terms of the acquisition agreement. The disagreement has put the Canadian workers’ livelihoods at the centre of a showdown between Joly and the company’s chief executive.

In a Nov. 10 episode of CityNews’ The Big Story podcast, host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Toronto Star business reporter Josh Rubin about the dispute’s timeline, the legal options potentially available to Ottawa and whether the jobs figure into the broader trade relationship. The supplied report does not detail the disputed agreement’s terms or identify any legal action Ottawa has taken.

Sources