Bill Oplinger, the CEO of the U.S.-based aluminum producer, said the sector should be carved out from the Trump administration’s tariff wall, which has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports of the metal. Tariffs cost Alcoa US$115 million in the second quarter. (The Globe and Mail)

Talking point: The U.S. relies heavily on Canadian aluminum exports to slake its yearly five-million-ton demand. Oplinger said each smelter job at its three Quebec operations supports 13 downstream jobs in the U.S. While Canada has 10 aluminum smelters, the U.S. only has four, and Oplinger said new U.S. smelters are unlikely to be built, given production and operating costs.