Canola producers in Saskatchewan say they are looking forward to what will come of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to China next week, following months of punishing tariffs on the province’s agricultural sector.
On Wednesday morning, Carney’s office announced that the impending trip — scheduled for Jan. 13 to 17 — will focus on elevating engagement on trade, energy, agriculture and investment, marking the first time a Canadian prime minister will travel to China since 2017.
For Saskatchewan farmers, the trip could not come soon enough.
“The fact that he is actually making the trip to China, we are again very hopeful that this will lead to some actual easing of the tension around trade and allow for more movement of canola to China because they’re one of our largest customers,” said Dale Leftwich, SaskOilseeds policy manager.
Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25 per cent import tax on steel and aluminum over the last two years.
Last year, China responded by hitting Canada with a 100 per cent tariff on various agricultural products, including canola oil and peas, plus a 25 per cent levy on pork and seafood products.
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China has also imposed a 76 per cent tariff on Canadian canola seed.
China’s ambassador to Canada has said that Chinese tariffs would be removed if Canada dropped its EV tariffs.
Because Saskatchewan produces the majority of canola in Canada, the effects of the tariffs were felt particularly hard in the province, said Chris Davison, president and CEO of Canola Council of Canada.
“Farmers in Saskatchewan and indeed across Canada who produce canola have seen the impacts in a lot of different ways,” said Davison. “The value of their canola, what their marketing options are, what it means for them in terms of their operations and their cash flow.“
Premier Scott Moe posted his reaction to the trip’s announcement on X, saying it’s “good to see” Carney will be in China and that he hopes to see progress on advancing market access for canola and other Canadian products.
“If we are truly serious about securing, diversifying and expanding Canadian markets around the world, this is a country we should engage with in a serious way,” Moe said in the X post.
Moe visited China last September in an attempt to cool tensions in the trade dispute, meeting with Chinese officials on matters concerning duties on Canadian canola products.
“It was the kind of thing that hopefully will set the stage for a successful visit by Mark Carney this time,” said Leftwich of Moe’s visit.
While most farmers are optimistic, some are more cautious.
“I’m not getting my hopes up too much because talk is cheap and hopefully we can get some action from both sides out of this meeting to alleviate this trade problem that we have because it’s really hitting home for local producers and for our rural communities,” said Devin Walker, director of Agricultural Producers Association Of Saskatchewan (APAS).
But farmers agree that now is the best time for talks ahead of the spring planting season, and they’ll be keeping a close watch on what plays out.
“If we don’t see trade signals that tell us it’s profitable to grow those crops in that window, we got to wait another 12 months for a production cycle where we can make those decisions,” said Walker.
Carney is expected to meet with China’s president Xi Jinping, the country’s premier Li Qiang and other government and business leaders, according to a press release from his office.
The visit is intended to build upon Canada and China’s first official meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea last October, says Carney’s office.
– with files from The Canadian Press
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