Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province is ready to support Ottawa in negotiating an end to steep Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola seed.
Moe met with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison, parliamentary secretary Kody Blois and farm industry groups in Saskatoon on to discuss the issue.
China imposed a nearly 76 per cent tariff last week, sending canola prices tumbling and wiping millions of dollars from one of Canada’s most valuable crops. The move came one year after Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola, in response to Ottawa’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.
Farmers and federal officials have rejected the dumping allegations, insisting Canadian exporters follow rules-based trade.
Moe said Saskatchewan’s role must be to help advance the conversation with China and back the federal government in negotiations.
“First I’m planning to work with and have already opened discussions with the federal government that we would be able to join and go together, and we would be there in support of the federal government negotiating an end to the canola tariffs that we have,” Moe said.
The premier noted Saskatchewan has operated a trade office in China for more than a decade and has built relationships with other major Asian markets, including India, Japan and South Korea.
Moe said the province is the “obvious advocate” for Canadian canola, as well as peas, pork and seafood, and argued those relationships are more important than ever during times of trade uncertainty.
He has also urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to make the issue a greater priority, calling for the federal government to ramp up its engagement with Beijing.
“Yes, the Prime Minister has been engaged on this file, and what we’re asking for is to up the priority and up the intensity of that engagement, not only from his ministers, but from him as well,” Moe said. “The next obvious step is to meet with President Xi.”
Moe said he would like to see Carney join him on a trade mission to China in the coming weeks.
“I look back years ago, Angela Merkel did 16 trade missions to China. Not one of them was on an invitation,” Moe said. “We’re going to go to China. We’re hopeful that the federal government will have representation alongside of us, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to support them in putting an end to some of these trade tariffs that we see.”
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