Prime Minister Mark Carney’s parliamentary secretary will go to China to join Saskatchewan’s efforts to get Beijing to scrap its canola tariffs and address other “trade irritants,” the prime minister’s office said Thursday.
Carney’s office said in a statement Nova Scotia MP Kody Blois plans to join Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe for the three-day trade mission, which starts Saturday, to “engage constructively with Chinese officials.”
“We are taking action to protect hard-working canola producers, workers, and exporters, defend their fair access to global markets, and protect Canadian jobs,” it said.
“To that end, the government will announce additional measures in support of Canadian producers shortly.”
China hit Canadian canola seed with a 75.8 per cent tariff last month, a measure widely seen as a response to Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.
Beijing had also slapped Canada with 100 per cent duties on peas, canola oil and canola meal, along with 25 per cent levies on Canadian pork and seafood.
Moe has called for Carney to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resolve trade issues. Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have also urged Ottawa to remove its tariff on Chinese EVs.
Moe told reporters Thursday in Saskatoon he’s pleased Blois is going on the trip.
“That is a positive, I think, not only for the mission, but a positive for where we can get to in the broader opportunities that we might have with a country like China,” he said.
“Thank you to Prime Minister Mark Carney for prioritizing this mission and ensuring that we are working together.”
Moe said the goal of the trip is to lay the groundwork for Carney and Jinping to come to an agreement. Both countries would see economic benefits by having a positive trading relationship, the premier added.
“It isn’t going to be myself, the premier of Saskatchewan, and the president of China that are going to stand up at the end of this mission and say, ‘Here, we have signed a trade deal.’ It needs to be the prime minister of Canada,” Moe said.
Moe’s trip to China is part of Saskatchewan’s larger trade mission in Asia that aims to promote the province’s products.
Saskatchewan Trade Minister Warren Keading is set to be in South Korea while Moe is in China. They are to meet together in Japan for the last half of the mission.
“There are new opportunities for our products in Saskatchewan to gain market share in many markets around the world,” Moe said.
“If we were able to have that access, there’s no need for the canola industry (and) producers to be asking for or requesting supports from our federal government.”
Moe said one positive development is the rebooting of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission, a forum where Ottawa and Beijing can attempt to sort out issues with bilateral trade, such as Canadian restrictions on Chinese steel imports.
Asked if he is experiencing better communication with the federal government on issues, Moe said, “There’s a stronger leader in Ottawa, simple as that.”
The canola seed tariff came into force nearly a year after Beijing launched an anti-dumping probe into Canadian canola.
China’s Ministry of Commerce has argued Canadian canola companies were dumping the product into the Chinese market, hurting its domestic canola oil market.
Ottawa and farmers have denied dumping, saying exporters are following rules-based trade.
The federal government has said China has until September, when the anti-dumping investigation formally ends, to make a final decision on the duties. But the deadline could be extended by six months.
Industry groups and Moe have said canola contributed $43 billion to Canada’s economy last year and employed 200,000 people.
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