Canada’s Agriculture Minister says Canada’s agricultural community has been very supportive of the federal government’s handling of issues related to Canada-U.S. trade.
In response to U.S. tariffs on imported aluminum and steel Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China have imposed retaliatory tariffs on imported U.S. products while Canada and Mexico continue to negotiate with the U.S. over NAFTA.
Yesterday Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay told reporters participating in a conference call no one likes tariffs but the agriculture community is aware how the situation has developed and support the government’s handling of trade issues.
On my end on the NAFTA deal I’ve spoken in the U.S. about 15 plus times since I became Minister of Agriculture from the Farm Bureau of thousands of people to a few hundred. I’ve not met a person in the ag sector, that hasn’t indicated me, quite simply they say to me do not do anything that will hurt the ag sector. I say, make sure that the people you elect understand that you do not want NAFTA hurt. They understand quite clearly that agriculture between our countries has quadrupled since the NAFTA deal came into place. They understand what takes place with many of the products, not to go into individual issues, but it might pass over the border three or four times. It could be an American company in this country making product. It could be a Canadian company in the U.S. There’s so many issues.
I can assure you there’s not many people in the ag sector on both sides of the border that are not concerned about NAFTA, only to make sure and to warn me and I warn them too to make sure that NAFTA continues, we do nothing to hurt NAFTA because they understand fully the value of NAFTA.
~ Lawrence MacAulay, Canada-Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
MacAulay notes the federal government is committed to increasing Canadian agricultural exports to 75 billion dollars by 2025 and agreements like CETA and CPTPP are important steps toward reaching those targets.
