The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that with Canadian steel exports to the United States in free fall, Ottawa has taken a series of escalating steps to shore up demand for the country's steel mills by restricting imports of foreign-made metal. The Globe's Mark Rendell writes that these protectionist measures, which will be further tightened in the coming weeks, have been lauded by Canadian steel producers, which have seen their business models upended by U.S. President Donald Trump's 50-per-cent steel tariff. The measures are drawing criticism from steel users, particularly in Western Canada, who warn of shortages and rising costs for construction materials and manufacturing inputs if they are forced to buy from Eastern mills rather than bringing in product by ship at world prices. In effect, the feds are responding to U.S. protectionism with its own turn inward, forcing a marriage between different regional steel markets that have mostly operated independently for decades. This is changing the Canadian market in real time. Ottawa's hope is that by restricting imports and subsidizing transportation costs, the glut of metal in Eastern Canada will be able to find a home in Alberta and British Columbia.