"Steel Days" promotes Canadian steel industry impact and sustainability

Industry highlights green measures

OTTAWA, June 1 /CNW Telbec/ - Leaders from Canada's steel industry are in Ottawa this week to meet with Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials to discuss developments in Canada's steel industry, its economic and environmental performance, and how steel will contribute to a more innovative, green and sustainable future.

Running from June 1-3, Steel Days discussions with policymakers will address the steel industry's public policy interests, and priorities for working with governments to improve the investment and future growth prospects of the industry. Canada's steel and steel tubular products industry employs 30,000 Canadians, generating annual shipments of approximately $14 billion, including about $7 billion in exports.

"In addition to its direct economic impacts, the steel sector is a core industry for other major industrial and manufacturing clusters, helping to create even more Canadian jobs," said Ron Watkins, President of the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA). "Steel Days will increase understanding and awareness of our industry, and build a basis for developing the kinds of public policies that will position steel and other manufacturers to continue to create jobs and growth for Canadians."

Steel days will emphasize the importance of steel as a value-added, innovative industry, and its role in a stronger, greener economic future. The industry's Public Policy Agenda for 2010 includes:

    
    -   Pro-manufacturing policies - Identifying positive changes to
        conditions for Canadian manufacturers to assist in competing for
        markets and investments.

    -   Innovation and skills - Focusing policies and programs on improving
        productivity, developing a highly skilled industrial workforce, and
        applying new production technologies.

    -   International business - Promoting international trade as critical to
        the Canadian steel industry's success, including firmly enforcing the
        negotiated rules of international trade with all major trading
        countries, notably China.

    -   Environmental measures - Sustainability is an important theme for
        steel producers, highlighted in a new Environmental Performance
        Report which covers multiple topics, including CSPA's strong
        commitment to steel recycling and eliminating mercury from steel
        scrap that is reprocessed.

    -   Infrastructure and transportation - Reinforcing the need for world-
        class infrastructure and competitive transportation systems, to move
        Canadian goods to domestic and global markets
    

The new Policy Agenda and Environmental Reports can be accessed at www.canadiansteel.ca. This site also provides additional information about Canada's steel industry, and a new independent study on the industry and its prospects that has just been completed by Dr. Peter Warrian, University of Toronto.

About the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA)

The CSPA is the national voice of Canada's steel and steel pipe and tube industry. A primary goal of CSPA is to work with governments to improve the environment for the success of Canada's steel industry, its customers, and its supply chain partners.

For further information: Sara Rodier, Ensight Canada, [phone], ext. 0