Canada Bans Imports of Russian Aluminum and Steel Products
Effective immediately, Canada is no longer allowing imports of aluminum and steel products that originated in Russia. The US has also announced a 200% tariff on the import of products that contain aluminum from Russia. Both steps were taken in response to the current conflict in Ukraine.
The ban was announced on March 10, 2023 with the following statement;
“Ukraine can and must win this war. We continue to do everything we can to cut off or limit the revenue used to fund Putin’s illegal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine. Canada, and our partners, have already sanctioned the Russian Central Bank and capped the price of Russian oil and gas. And now, we are ensuring Putin cannot pay for his war by selling aluminum and steel in Canada, in coordination with action taken by the United States today.”
– The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Products affected by the ban under the aluminum category include unwrought aluminum, aluminum sheets, and finished products including containers and other household items made from aluminum. Steel products include primary Russian steel products, iron and non-alloy steel, semi-finished, and finished products such as tubes and pipes
In 2019, Canada applied a similar action in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. That year, supply chains were disrupted for importers that relied on Russian metal products for sectors like automotive and manufacturing. While that ban was partially lifted later in 2019, it had the desired effect of ensuring that Canadian importers diversified their supply chain.
According to government statistics, in 2021 Canadians imported $45 million worth of aluminum from Russia, and $213 million worth of steel. Despite the previous ban, those are still large numbers that will now have to be sourced elsewhere. This ban is in addition to the other sanctions Canada has placed against Russia, which can be found here. Canada had also previously announced a minimum 35% tariff on the import of any Russian origin goods.
The conflict in Ukraine is affecting supply chains around the world. Canada, along with other Western nations, are increasing punitive actions against Russia. Russia is one of the top 10 steel producing nations in the world. This latest ban is another attempt to slow down Russia’s advance by cutting off their access to the Canadian market.
For questions relating to sanctions against Russia, or on any topic regarding importing into Canada, please contact us. For a free quote on our services, please click here.
