Joly says she'll meet with Stelco owner if company gives 'concrete' plan to bring workers back

In a letter to Stelco's president dated Thursday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said she would meet with the company but first wanted to see a solid plan to bring back workers who are off the job. The letter is the most recent back-and-forth between the American owners of the Hamilton steel plant and the federal government.

Industry minister says laid off workers need to be brought back 'immediately'

Abby Hughes · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 29, 2026 9:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 18 minutes ago

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Canada's Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says she's willing to meet with the president of Stelco and the head of its parent company, Cleveland-Cliffs, but only if the company provides a solid plan to bring workers back.

Joly said the plan to re-engage those workers would form the basis of a conversation with Stelco and Cleveland-Cliffs about the company's compliance with its requirements under the Investment Canada Act.

"I expect Stelco and Cleveland-Cliffs to provide a concrete and credible plan for the re-engagement of those workers," Joly wrote in a letter addressed to Stelco president Paul Simon, dated Thursday.

Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves has asked to meet with Joly to discuss a path to bring laid off workers back to the Hamilton plant, where Stelco said last month it was idling some operations.

Joly also demanded that laid off workers be recalled to their jobs "immediately."

WATCH | Stelco owner's live TV admission prompts industry minister to call lawyers:

Stelco owner's live TV admission prompts industry minister to call lawyers

October 28|

Duration

2:49

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said she called the government's lawyers after the head of Stelco's American parent company told CBC News that he only bought the Hamilton steelmaker to stop it undercutting his production facilities in the U.S.

The letter is the latest in the public back-and-forth between the federal government and the American owners of the steel plant since the layoffs were announced.

Following the decision, Joly demanded that it reverse layoffs announced last month or face potential legal action for violating Investment Canada Act undertakings. The government says the company agreed in those undertakings to keep the number of unionized Stelco employees at 2024 levels through to 2029 when the purchase was made.

Goncalves maintains Cleveland-Cliffs is in "full compliance" with the obligations it made under the Investment Canada Act when it bought the steelmaker in 2024.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abby Hughes is a writer with CBC News based in Toronto. Originally from Orillia, Ont., she studied journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. She covers news from the worlds of business, entertainment, health, science and education, and her favourite stories focus on the real people in those areas — the customers, fans, patients, citizens and students. You can reach her with story ideas at abby.hughes@cbc.ca.