Stelco控股公司必须在几天内公布一项旨在拯救数百名安大略省钢铁工人免遭迫切裁员命运的计划，否则将面临加拿大政府的法律诉讼。
Stelco Holdings has days to share a plan to save hundreds of Ontario steel workers from layoffs already underway — or it risks legal action from the Canadian government.
在加拿大总理马克·卡尼在与美国的激烈贸易战中竭力吸引更多外国投资之际，律师们表示，这场倒计时堪称对外资追究责任的一次试金石。
The clock is ticking on what lawyers say is a test of how foreign investors are held to account as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to lure more of them to Canada amid a bitter trade war with the United States.
那么，这一威胁的威慑力究竟有多大？它是否真能保住工人的饭碗？回顾联邦政府上次将这家美国钢铁制造商告上法庭的经历，我们了解到以下情况。
So, how idle is the threat? And is it likely to save workers' jobs? Here's what we know from the last time the federal government took the U.S. steelmaker to court.
自渥太华与前Stelco所有者对簿公堂以来已过去20年。2007年，总部位于宾夕法尼亚州的美国钢铁公司（U.S. Steel）宣布了一项以约10亿美元收购当时为上市公司Stelco的交易，该公司随后更名为加拿大美国钢铁公司。
2 decades since Ottawa fought ex-Stelco owner in court In 2007, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel announced a deal to acquire Stelco, then a publicly-traded company, for about $1-billion US, and the company was renamed U.S. Steel Canada.
根据《加拿大投资法》，重大外国投资必须惠及国内经济。因此，外国买家必须向联邦工业部长做出具有法律约束力的书面承诺（即承诺书），以证明该交易为“对加拿大有净效益”。当时，美国钢铁公司同意了多项此类承诺，包括为期三年维持加拿大就业水平、并将加拿大的钢铁产量提高至少10%的承诺。
Major foreign investments must benefit the domestic economy, per the Investment Canada Act. So, foreign buyers must give legally binding written commitments — called undertakings — to the federal industry minister to prove the deal provides a "net benefit to Canada." At the time, U.S. Steel agreed to several such undertakings, including a three-year commitments to maintain Canadian employment levels, and increase steel production in Canada by at least 10 per cent.
然而，当2008年的金融危机耗尽全球需求时，美国钢铁公司关闭了Stelco在加拿大的大部分业务，并裁员1500多人。
However, when the 2008 financial crisis sapped global demand, U.S. Steel closed most of Stelco's Canadian operations and laid off over 1,500 employees.
工会称汉密尔顿Stelco工厂已开始裁员 4小时前 时长 加拿大总检察长于2009年7月对美国钢铁公司提起诉讼。
Layoffs start at Hamilton Stelco plant, union says 4 hours ago Duration The Attorney General of Canada filed a lawsuit against U.S. Steel in July 2009.
总部位于多伦多的商业律师纳西拉·埃尔·哈德里（Nassira El Hadri）对CBC新闻表示：“从公开记录来看，这是渥太华唯一一次就此类承诺诉诸法院。”
"As far as the public record shows, it is the only time Ottawa has gone to court over commitments like this," Toronto-based business lawyer Nassira El Hadri told CBC News.
根据总部位于多伦多的Torys律师事务所律师汇编的法庭文件摘要，Stelco辩称，这些承诺仅要求在三年期限结束时合规，而非在此之前。
According to a summary of court filings compiled by a lawyer at Toronto-based Torys LLP, Stelco argued the undertakings only required compliance at the end of their three-year term, not before.
Stelco 也表示，加拿大工业部的指南指出，其投资者不应对超出其控制范围的因素负责，例如正在展开的金融危机。
Stelco also said that Industry Canada guidelines its investors should not be held accountable for factors beyond their control, like the unfolding financial crisis.
上一次法律争斗以达成继续生产钢铁的协议告终。加拿大总检察长于 2011 年底正式撤回诉讼，在法院作出判决前通过庭外和解结束。
Last legal battle ended in deal to keep making steel The Attorney General of Canada formally withdrew the lawsuit in late 2011, ending in an out-court-settlement before the court could make a judgment.
美国钢铁公司同意在汉密尔顿和伊利湖保持生产，并在 2015 年底前投入 5000 万美元进行新资本投资，以实现运营现代化。它同意与渥太华达成新承诺，但这些承诺并未包括最低员工人数要求。
U.S. Steel agreed to keep production alive in Hamilton and Lake Erie, and to make $50 million in new capital investments by the end of 2015 to modernize its operations. It agreed to new undertakings with Ottawa, but those did not include minimum worker headcount requirements.
但在此之前，2014 年，美国钢铁加拿大公司申请债权人保护，美国母公司与其加拿大业务切断了联系。
But before then, in 2014, U.S. Steel Canada filed for creditor protection, and the American parent company severed ties with its Canadian operations.
2016 年，一家总部位于纽约的私募股权公司收购了该钢铁制造商。Stelco 名称在公司次年重新在多伦多证券交易所上市时得以复活。
In 2016, a New York-based private equity firm acquired the steelmaker. The Stelco name was revived when the company returned to the Toronto Stock Exchange the next year.
此争议促使《投资加拿大法》在 2009 年和 2012 年进行修订，以简化和解谈判并加强执法。政府随后将每日违规罚款提高至 2.5 万美元，并收紧对敏感行业的审查。Stelco 现在的情况如何？
The dispute prompted updates to the Investment Canada Act in 2009 and 2012 to make settlement negotiations easier, and strengthen enforcement. The government later raised daily non-compliance fines to $25,000, and tightened reviews for sensitive industries What's happening now at Stelco?
快进到 2024 年，渥太华批准了总部位于俄亥俄州的 Cleveland‑Cliffs 以 34 亿美元现金加股票收购 Stelco 的交易。条件包括承诺在五年内保持加拿大至少相同数量的工会员工，以及绝大多数非工会员工，正如当时政府声明所述。上周，Stelco 宣布计划在汉密尔顿停产部分生产，导致公司整体最多裁员 500 人。
Flash forward to 2024, when Ottawa approved Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs' $3.4-billion cash-and-stock deal to buy Stelco The conditions included a promise to maintain at least the same number of unionized employees in Canada for five years, as well as the vast majority of non-unionized workers, according to a government statement at the time Last week, Stelco announced a plan to idle certain production in Hamilton, resulting in up to 500 layoffs company-wide.
工会称裁员已在进行中。Cleveland‑Cliffs 首席执行官 Lourenco Goncalves 表示，此次裁员是必要且合理的，原因是美加贸易战，他辩称 Stelco 向美国出售钢铁的能力是交易的“基本条件”。
The union says layoffs are already underway Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said the cuts are necessary and justified by the Canada-U.S. trade war, arguing that Stelco's ability to sell steel to the U.S. was an "underlying condition" of the deal.
但在周一致信斯泰尔科（Stelco）总裁保罗·西蒙（Paul Simon）时，工业部长梅拉尼·若利（Mélanie Joly）给了斯泰尔科五个工作日的时间来分享一份工作计划，否则将面临法律诉讼。
But in a letter Monday to Stelco president Paul Simon, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly gave Stelco five business days to share a job plan, or face legal action.
周二，若利猛烈抨击了贡卡尔维斯（Goncalves）对美国钢铁关税的公开支持。
And on Tuesday, Joly slammed Goncalves's public support of American steel tariffs.
“他赞成美国对钢铁征收这些关税，”她说。“他们不能说现在这是一个不可抗力或天灾。” Stelco会再次在法庭上与渥太华对抗吗？
"He's in favour of these U.S. tariffs against steel," she said. "They cannot say that this is now an act of God or force majeure." Will Stelco fight Ottawa in court again?
埃尔·哈德里（El Hadri）表示，这件事“极有可能最终对簿公堂”。
El Hadri says the matter is "most likely going to end up in court."
她指出，若利的信并没有要求斯泰尔科和克利夫兰克利夫斯（Cleveland-Cliffs）就他们计划裁员的原因做出解释。信中指出，公司的承诺“不会仅仅因为商业策略或市场条件的改变而停止适用”。埃尔·哈德里对CBC新闻表示：“它也可能以达成和解告终，但这完全取决于经济状况，比如斯泰尔科内部正在发生的事情。”她说，法院拥有“广泛的权力”，包括将企业挂牌出售。
She points out that Joly's letter does not ask Stelco and Cleveland-Cliffs for an explanation about why they plan to lay off workers. It states the company's commitments "do not cease to apply simply because business strategy or market conditions have changed." "It may end up in a settlement as well, but it all depends on the economic conditions, like what's going on inside Stelco," El Hadri told CBC News. The court has "wide powers" at its disposal, she said, including putting a business up for sale.
“我们最终可能会做出新的承诺，就像2009年的Stelco那样。” 若利：Stelco必须在5天内提供保留工作岗位的计划 裁员的不确定性对Stelco工人来说就像“坐过山车”一样 全球律所大成（Dentons）竞争与外国投资审查小组联席主席桑迪·沃克（Sandy Walker）表示，Stelco仍有可能逆转其全面裁员计划，以避免对簿公堂。
"We could end up with new commitments, which is what happened with Stelco in 2009." Joly: Stelco must provide plan to keep jobs within 5 days Layoff uncertainty 'a roller-coaster' for Stelco workers Sandy Walker, co-chair of the competition and foreign investment review group at the global law firm Dentons, says it's still possible that Stelco could reverse course on its full layoff plans to avoid going to court.
她对CBC新闻表示：“这取决于加拿大政府的威胁有多大成效。”
"That depends on how effective the Canadian government’s threats are," she said told CBC News.
“有很多原因（让它）可能不会以对簿公堂告终，而是可能会对其承诺进行修改，或者以其他方式与加拿大政府达成和解。” 与此同时，沃克表示，加拿大工业部关于超出公司控制范围的因素的指导方针可能会让Stelco在某种程度上“免于责难”。这对总理的议程意味着什么？
"There are many reasons why [it] may not end up in court, but may end up with a variation of its undertakings, or otherwise settling with the Canadian government." At the same time, Walker says those Industry Canada guidelines on factors beyond a company's control may let Stelco "off the hook" to some extent. What does this mean for PM's agenda?
沃克和埃尔·哈德里都同意，考虑到渥太华正致力于在未来五年内在全国范围内推动价值1万亿美元的投资，这一时机多少有些尴尬。
Both Walker and El Hadri agree the timing is somewhat awkward, given Ottawa's push for $1-trillion worth of investments across the country over the next five years.
上个月，卡尼在多伦多举办了一场投资峰会，邀请了数百位资金雄厚的投资者，旨在促进交易达成，并减少对美国的依赖。
Last month, Carney hosted hundreds of deep-pocketed investors at an investment summit in Toronto in a bid to spur deals, and cut reliance on the United States.
埃尔·哈德里表示：“我们正在向全世界传递一个信号……你们必须尊重我们的规则。”
"We are giving a signal to the world that ... you have to respect our rules," El Hadri said.
沃克说：“这需要在困难中寻求平衡。政府必须担心自己看起来不够强硬。”
"It's a difficult balance," Walker said. "The government has got to worry about looking weak."