[ferro-alloys.com]US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed the US Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum in a call Monday, however an agreement has yet to be reached on the lifting of tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

According to a readout of the call provided by Trudeau's office, the pair "reaffirmed their support for workers affected by the closure of General Motors plants in Canada and the US and discussed next steps in addressing steel and aluminum tariffs."

No further details were provided regarding discussions on the tariffs. A spokeswoman for Trudeau's office declined to say if more talks regarding the tariffs are scheduled between the two countries.

The White House, which stopped the practice of publishing readouts of the president's calls with foreign leaders in July, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Canada and Mexico were granted a temporary exemption from the US tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports when they took effect in March 2018. The US lifted the temporary reprieve June 1. Canada introduced its own reciprocal tariffs of 25% on US steel imports and 10% on US aluminum imports July 1.

Canadian officials have repeatedly called their country's inclusion in the Section 232 metals tariffs insulting because the US applied a national security justification for the import restrictions. Under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, the US executive branch is granted the authority to investigate whether imports of certain products impair national security in addition to giving the president the authority to enact remedies.

（S&P Global Platts）

• [Editor:王可]