Mid-West legislators meeting touches on local concerns
Steinbach MLA, Kelvin Goertzen, was in Omaha, Nebraska on the weekend meeting with U.S. Congressmen and Senators to discuss a wide range of issues, many of which have local impact to residents of southeastern Manitoba.
“Our region, like Canada as a whole, relies significantly on trade with the United States. When issues arise that make it more difficult for goods and people to cross the border or for trade to happen efficiently, it needs to be addressed. Being able to meet face to face with U.S. lawmakers is part of ensuring relationships remains strong and both our countries benefit,” said Goertzen.
Of particular concern at this meeting were proposed fee increases on Canadian truckers being proposed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Under the proposal, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service fees (APHIS), which fund the Agricultural Quarantine Inspection program for the transport of food and agricultural related goods across the border, would be increased in some cases by 205% per truck, regardless if it is carrying agricultural goods or not.
Goertzen says the increased fee will hurt not only the trucking industry but trade in general and questions have been raised whether it is in compliance with current trade agreements between the two countries. He notes that representatives of Midwestern States on the Canada-U.S. Relations Committee, of which he is a member, agreed unanimously on the weekend to ask the USDA to reconsider these fees.
“The increase in fees per truck crossing into the United States represents a trade barrier and a real cost to our truckers and their companies. But more importantly it’s bad business between our two nations. The U.S. representatives I spoke with overwhelmingly understand that we have a strong mutually beneficial trading relationship and they expressed their own opposition to these increased fees. I hope that message is taken back to Washington,” said Goertzen.
The trucking industry is an important employer in the southeast part of Manitoba and the province as a whole. Goertzen notes that there was also significant discussion about current pilot projects to try to move commercial inspections away from border points to make those entry points more efficient.
