Alcoa Corp., the storied US metals producer, is feeling the pinch of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and has been forced to pause work on all its growth projects underway in Canada.
If the levies stay in place, Chief Executive Officer Bill Oplinger warns that the American manufacturer may need to turn to the Canadian government for help.Â
For now, Oplinger said he’s waiting until Aug. 1 — the negotiation deadline for a new economic and security deal between Canada and the US — to decide whether Alcoa will push for assistance from the Canadian government, financial or otherwise, to support the aluminum operations the company has in Quebec.
“The profitability of Quebec is severely impacted,” Oplinger said in a Friday interview. “The longer this goes, the more damage it will do to the competitiveness of the Quebec assets. And the Canadian government understands that.”
Alcoa’s…
