The former CEO of America’s largest steel producer says U.S. President Donald Trump’s use of metals tariffs against both its allies and enemies is not “a shot against Canada.”

“The people of Canada should not take this as a shot against Canada,” Dan DiMicco, chairman emeritus and former chief executive of Nucor told BNN Bloomberg in an interview on Tuesday. “This is a much bigger issue than any one country. And, what we’ve asked for is: ‘Okay. Sit down. Talk with us. Let’s put together a plan that works for Canada and works for us.’”

“We need to work together and we can make this work so it’s mutually okay for all of us, but it’s not destructive for any of us.”

Canada took a step on Monday to safeguard its own steel industry, announcing a 15-day consultation on potentially slapping tariffs or quotas on seven different types of steel imports to the country.

DiMicco called the announcement by the Canadian government “the right thing to do.”

“They knew it was coming,” he said. “Part of the purpose of the U.S. stopping the dumping of steel in our market and instituting the [Section] 232 was for national security and to stop the undermining of our basic industries like steel and aluminum. It was just a natural follow-[up] for other countries in the world to do the same, because they don’t want the stuff that was coming here and destroying our industry to go there and destroy theirs.”

“It’s absolutely the right thing to do.”

He sees the moves that Canada is now discussing as a sign of a widening show of global resistance to China’s trade practices.

“The world has refused to act – except to talk about acting – against China’s massive over-capacity and mercantilistic trade practices, as evidenced in the steel and aluminum industries. And now they’re being forced to act because of the action President Trump has taken, which is in the best interests of our national security,” he said.

“It’s going to end up being a very united front against the Chinese.”