Kinew waves flag at Selkirk steel mill, orders province to buy, build Canadian By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 12:32 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025 Last Modified: 5:38 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025 Updates

SELKIRK — Before speaking Thursday, Premier Wab Kinew made a statement: steel platform under foot, dozens of hard hat-laden workers behind, massive Canadian flag overhead.

The Manitoba government will source Canadian steel for all its infrastructure projects and relevant equipment purchases, Kinew announced at the Gerdau mill in Selkirk.

On the same day, the province boasted a $1.5 million grant for the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters to funnel into a made-in-Manitoba program and tariff response supports.

“I am not going to let (U.S. President) Donald Trump take manufacturing jobs away from Manitoba,” Kinew said.

Around 100 Gerdau employees, including leadership from the Brazilian company, were in attendance.

“We’re going to be building a whole heck of a lot,” Kinew added.

The province outlined record infrastructure spending of $3.7 billion in its 2025 budget. Schools, personal care homes, roads and health-care facilities are on the agenda. Equipment like front-end loaders and snow grading machines can be Canadian purchases, Kinew noted.

He’s directed the head of Manitoba’s civil service to seek out Canadian steel for pending infrastructure projects.

“What I’m talking about is making sure that a contractor or a sub who gets hired to build a road or gets hired to work on a project that they’re going to be using Canadian steel, too,” Kinew said, adding it’s different than the Buy Canadian Act the province introduced March 6.

Canada has 13 steel plants, according to Natural Resources Canada. Selkirk is home to Manitoba’s only such facility.

When asked if he was worried Manitoba wouldn’t find the Canadian steel it needs for all of its projects, Kinew gave a short answer: “No.”

“I am not going to let (U.S. President) Donald Trump take manufacturing jobs away from Manitoba.”–Premier Wab Kinew

It’s unclear how much money the province might spend on steel this year; the dollars trickle through contractors and subcontractors.

Gerdau management indicated it will work with the province, meaning fabrication happening in Selkirk will align with Manitobans’ tax dollars, Kinew said.

Gerdau has declined to speak to media; it pointed a reporter to the Canadian Steel Producers Association. The association said it awaited further details about Thursday’s announcement and also declined to comment.

Gerdau is Selkirk’s largest employer. Five hundred people work on site, accounting for more than one-third of the province’s primary metal manufacturing workforce.

It’s unclear how much of Selkirk’s steel production travels south of the border. Trump’s administration placed 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports March 12.

The Manitoba plant processes at least 400,000 tons of scrap vehicles, railcars and bridges, among other items. It’s touted as a “green” facility because it recycles scrap metal.

“If the government of Manitoba has to invest a few more dollars to ensure we’re creating and sustaining steel jobs here in our province, then that’s what we need to do right now,” Kinew said.

Should “push come to shove” and the situation gets tougher, the provincial finance minister has a swath of financial supports ready to go, Kinew continued. Government has created a contingency budget with $200 million for tariff supports and business loans.

“My fear is that we’ll go through it a lot quicker than folks think. We know it’ll be put to good use. It’s just, how many companies will this be able to touch?”–Terry Shaw

The Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters will use up to $1.5 million from the province’s regular budget to support tariff-hit businesses and promote Manitoba products. This involves labelling Manitoba-made items as such, similar to an “Ontario Made” campaign the eastern province unveiled in 2020.

“CME already has the experience, the templates, etc. from the Ontario Made program,” noted Terry Shaw, CME regional vice-president for the Prairies.

Funding details are still being finalized. The grant may also cover reimbursement for businesses that have gotten consultations about exporting to the U.S., tariff-related webinars and a manufacturing summit happening May 13.

Shaw called the funding “fantastic.”

“I don’t want to seem unappreciative. My fear is that we’ll go through it a lot quicker than folks think,” he added. “We know it’ll be put to good use. It’s just, how many companies will this be able to touch?”

The Manitoba government’s 2025 budget notes nearly half of manufacturing jobs in the province — more than 25,200 — are tariff-exposed. The sector could be hit hardest by U.S. tariffs, with a 55 per cent real GDP drop in a worst-case scenario.

The province’s decision to seek Canadian steel — and buy Canadian overall — is a positive one, Shaw said, adding some items may need to be sourced elsewhere. Canadian and American manufacturers have increasingly integrated their supply chains after decades of free trade agreements.

Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson proclaimed Kinew’s Thursday announcement as good news.

“If there’s a silver lining that’s going to come out of all this, it’s that there’s going to be patriotism in Canada that’s never been seen before,” he said. “We’re going to be working together as true Canadians.”

Mike Pulak, United Steelworkers’ Manitoba area co-ordinator, said the union’s goal is to see its workers getting their pensions and putting food on the table.

“It’s so refreshing when you have politicians who actually get it and are trying to do great things and move the needle for the working people,” said Pulak, a member of Manitoba’s U.S. Trade Council.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

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Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.