The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Stelco Holdings says that federal protections for the industry have helped prop up earnings as it focuses more on the domestic market. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe quotes executive chairman Alan Kestenbaum saying that the measures Ottawa put in place to protect against cheap steel imports have been helpful to isolate the company from U.S. price declines for steel. "What you've seen in the U.S. market is a very significant decline. And we have not seen that type of decline in Canada. A lot of that having to do with the very effective countermeasures that the Canadian government imposed," Mr. Kestenbaum told analysts on a conference call Wednesday. The feds imposed restrictions on some metal imports last year over fears that foreign producers would ship excess material to Canada after the U.S. imposed tariffs. The measures have been criticized by Canada's construction industry for making products more expensive. U.S. tariffs have also helped accelerate Stelco's plans to focus on what it sees as underserved markets in Canada, including car making, Mr. Kestenbaum said. The company increased profit to $110-million in the quarter ending Dec. 31.