Opinion
On Tuesday morning while in Winnipeg, Prime Minister Trudeau stated that “we are looking at the possibility of sending a high level delegation to China.”
The Prime Minister is facing stiff criticism from western Canadian farmers for the lack of apparent action and response on the canola matter. This critique will only heighten with the addition of Viterra to a list of two companies unable to export canola to China due to alleged hazardous pests. Western Canadian farmers have repeatedly asked why Canada is yet to have the Chinese ambassador position filled or why a delegation has not been sent yet.
A RealAg Radio listener on Monday suggested that Canada should appoint a former Conservative MP to lead a special envoy to China to mitigate the partisan rhetoric on the China issue.
This reminds me of the NAFTA negotiations when former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney assisted the Trudeau government based on connections to President Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. In addition, the former interim conservative leader Rona Ambrose and former conservative MP James Moore, served on the NAFTA advisory council.
I really think this is a tremendous suggestion to bring a non-partisan presence into the fold to allow people to focus on solving the issue and less on the domestic politics in an election year.
We would love to get your opinion on this. If you could choose a former conservative official to lead to the delegation in China, who would you pick?
Send us your suggetsion in the comment box below, by sending an email to [email protected], on twitter @realagriculture or leave a message on the RealAg listener line by calling 855.776.6147.
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