The Canadian government was on the media offensive this past weekend, after the U.S. administration applied steel and aluminum tariffs to imports from Canada while justifying the move as a national security issue. “What you are saying to us and all of your NATO allies is that we somehow represent a national security threat to… Read More
Category: Trade
Steel prices in North America are on the rise and the impacts are just beginning to be felt in farm country. In the U.S., steel prices were already up 37% year to date and expected to go higher with the imposition of 25% import tariffs on steel from Canada and Mexico. According to the Financial… Read More
The Canadian government was quick to announce $16.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that Canada, Mexico, and the EU will lose their exemptions to 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, as of June 1. The escalation comes as NAFTA negotiations appear to have stalled. Prime… Read More
In a relatively short period of time the potential U.S./China trade war has shifted to becoming a “trade truce.” In potentially very good news for U.S. farmers, agricultural commodities could be one of the major beneficiaries. President Donald Trump is demanding an additional $25 billion in U.S. ag exports to China, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue… Read More
The Canadian government has taken a step toward ratifying the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). International Trade Minister François-Philippe Champagne tabled the text of the 11-country trade deal in the House of Commons on Tuesday. However, the government must still introduce and pass a bill to implement the agreement before Canada can… Read More
Last week we heard House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) lay down a Congressional schedule deadline for a NAFTA 2.0 deal of May 17th. The negotiators did not meet the deadline and in fact, it was ignored like it never existed. Each country is spinning their version of what is left to do to complete this… Read More
Nearly all of Canada’s international trade negotiations, at some point, involve discussions about the future of supply management for our dairy and poultry sectors. We’ve heard the U.S. dairy industry push hard against the supply management system for dairy in NAFTA 2.0 talks, especially Canada’s new class 7 pricing. Some Canadians cheer this U.S. rhetoric… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario wants to see a targeted growth strategy, a focus on business risk management programs, funding for an educational farm demo site, and signed trade agreements out of the next Ontario government. GFO also says it would like to see an exemption on farm fuel costs associated with Climate Change regulations of… Read More
Round eight of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks has been a month-long process of trying to reach common ground in Washington, with the majority of the chapters yet to be closed. This week, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan informed the trade negotiators that in order for Congress to have a chance to… Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay is headed to China for a week-long trade mission. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says MacAulay will be meeting with representatives from several Chinese companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba, HeMa, and GFresh, to discuss opportunities for Canadian food products in meetings taking place May 14 to 18. He will also attend… Read More
Canada is a very unique country, characterized as a vastly unpopulated nation that has its stereotypes played out by the likes of Bob and Doug McKenzie, Corner Gas, or Jim Carrey’s depiction of life in Canada. But really, what defines a Canadian? Unlike countries such as China, Sweden, or even the U.S., with distinct foods… Read More
There is an expectation that when the North American Free Trade Agreement talks resume as early as Monday, dairy access could be a higher priority in the talks. Recently, U.S. lawmakers wrote a letter to trade representative Robert Lighthizer to remind the administration of the desired changes to U.S. dairy access into Canada. In the… Read More
Canada signed its name on the dotted line at the CPTPP signing ceremony in Chile on March 6th, 2018. But unfortunately, agriculture and other interested parties cannot afford to take pressure off the government. The deal will take effect when six of the eleven participating countries have ratified it. So if Canada drags its feet… Read More
With the ink still drying on a trade agreement that was supposed to reduce barriers to trade, a protectionist measure has shut out one of Canada’s largest single product exports to Europe. Durum wheat shipments from Canada to Italy have been halted since October, shortly after the Italian government announced it was moving ahead with… Read More
President Donald Trump revived the U.S. agriculture industry’s hopes of participating in the trade deal now known as CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) on Thursday, but until there’s concrete action showing he’s serious, U.S. farmers and CPTPP member countries, including Canada, should not get too excited. The president is well aware that… Read More