CANADA TO MONITOR STEEL IMPORTS, EXPORTS
  Canada plans to monitor steel shipments
  flowing in and out of the country in an attempt to appease
  concerns in the U.S. over the high level of Canadian steel
  exports, Trade Minister Pat Carney said.
      "To help maintain our open access to the U.S. steel market,
  the government is taking further action to ensure we have more
  accurate data on exports and imports and that Canada is not
  used as a backdoor to the U.S. market by offshore suppliers,"
  Carney said.
      Carney also said Canadian companies were being asked to
  exercise prudence in the U.S. market and both countries were
  considering establishing a joint commission to study the
  growing steel problem.
      Carney told the House of Commons she will soon announce an
  amendment to the Exports and Imports Permits Act to set up the
  monitoring program.
      Canadian steel shipments to the U.S. have risen to 5.7 pct
  cent of the U.S. market in recent months, almost double the
  level just two years ago, Canadian trade officials said.
      The increase in Canadian shipments comes at a time of
  growing anger in the U.S. over rising steel imports from
  several countries in the face of a decline in the domestic
  steel industry.
      Some U.S. lawmakers have proposed Canada's share of the
  American market be limited to 2.4 pct.
  

