A former Manitoba Deputy Premier is calling on government and business to adopt a “Team Canada” approach that focusses on trade with countries that want to do business with Canada.
In response to Canada’s imposition in October of 100 percent tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles and 25 per cent tariffs on Chinese aluminum and steel, effective March 20th China will impose retaliatory 25 percent duties on Canadian seafood and pork and 100 percent duties on canola and peas.
Jim Downey, a southwestern Manitoba farmer and former Deputy Premier, Agriculture Minister and Industry, Trade and Tourism Minister, says these trade actions are creating uncertainty right when farmers are planning for this year’s crops.
The government of Canada in the last few years have invested billions of dollars. I think it’s up to 50 billion dollars in building battery factories in Ontario and Quebec. Tax payer’s money went to support that industry. So, the big encouragement for Canadians was to buy electric vehicles to get off the carbon gas burning machines so they’re supporting battery production. Then they turn around and they put an embargo on Chinese electric cars, which argue whether they’re good, bad or indifferent, we know they are less costly and if they were available to Canadians there may be more people buying them that would use the batteries that were made in Canada.
So, what happens, China comes back at who? They don’t come back at the auto industry or the battery industry. They come back at the farmers and they say we want a 100 per cent tariff on the canola oil that we’re shipping to China. Here are the farmers, western Canadian farmers taking the financial hit for a policy that was made to protect, particularly eastern Canada but again to help the environment but that farmers are asked to pay a penalty because we didn’t let the Chinese cars come into play.
Again, farmers are getting it from every angle.
~ Jim Downey, Southwestern Manitoba Farmer
Downey calls on the federal government to implement a team Canada approach to trade where government and business cooperate and demonstrate to those countries that want to do business with Canada that Canada is ready to do business with them.
