Unlike a railway strike or work stoppage where crop can’t move to port, the latest tariff threat by China to impose huge taxes on canola oil and meal risks devaluing the entire crop, says Dean Roberts chair of Sask Oilseeds.
That distinction, Roberts says, means Canada needs to move very quickly to remedy the situation and get working on monetary support for farmers that isn’t just debt. Last week, the federal government had announced economic support for industries impacted by the U.S. tariff threats — including $1 billion in increased lending capacity for Farm Credit Canada.
At the time of this recording, Prime Minister Mark Carney had not yet named his cabinet; however, on Friday, March 14, Kody Blois was named the new minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. He shared on social media that he had been in touch with his Saskatchewan counterpart, Daryl Harrison, on his first day (see below).
Roberts says the canola industry is in very choppy waters right now, bearing market disruption with Canada’s two largest trading partners, the U.S. and China. He’s pushing for the federal government to take swift action ahead of the federal election campaign, which could begin as soon as next week.
“The longer the tariffs go on the more permanent they tend to become,” Roberts says.
Listen on for the full discussion:
Hitting the ground running on my first day as Minister.
My first call was to Minister @DarylHarrison20, my Saskatchewan counterpart, to talk about the impact that Chinese tariffs will have on our canola sector and we agreed to work closely together to support producers.
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— Kody Blois (@KodyBloisNS) March 14, 2025
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