Stelco owner hopes to recall laid-off steelworkers before Christmas

OTTAWA — Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. CEO Lourenco Goncalves says he hopes to bring back laid-off Stelco workers before Christmas if a plan to increase Canadian sales succeeds.

In a written statement to The Canadian Press, Goncalves says the company is now counting on increased purchases of Canadian-made steel rather than tighter import restrictions to restore jobs at its Ontario operations.

Goncalves says the number of layoffs “was never 500” but is rather 175, despite an internal Stelco letter to employees on Sept. 28 warning that up to 500 workers at Hamilton Works and Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ont., could be affected.

He also says Stelco is not for sale for at least the next calendar year, and criticizes Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for publicly discussing the possibility of a sale.