Premier Scott Moe is crossing more time zones on Monday only two days after finishing a trade mission to China and Japan last week.
Moe spoke to reporters at the Saskatoon airport prior to departing on a flight to the nation’s capital for additional meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior cabinet ministers.
Moe and the Prime Minister’s parliamentary secretary Kody Blois met with officials within the Chinese Commerce Ministry—the body that is responsible for implementing import tariffs. It has placed very hefty preliminary tariffs on Canadian canola seed—as well as canola oil, canola meal, peas and pork. Those tariffs were seen as a response to Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. That tariff was implemented at the request of the United States.
It’s hoped the trade mission will begin a gradual process to improve relations between Canada and China.
During his discourse, Moe had the following to say on various aspects
On the direction future talks are likely to take, Moe commented. "I think what you'll see in the next while is additional steps with maybe federal ministers, a number of federal ministers that will be engaging in the lead up to the APEC summit or the G20 summit this fall, which I would say are both prime opportunities for the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of China to come to some degree of resolution on this trade dispute that we have."
On the tone of the engagement, Moe offered this, "It was, at least or even more positive than I had anticipated. Again, I say, and I've said this before, there are going to be steps in building this relationship that will ultimately culminate in, you know, the Prime Minister and the President coming to some sort of agreement. That's the hope, that's the ambition, and that's what we hope to see before the end of the calendar year, would be ideal.
NDP Shadow Minister for Trade & Export Development, Kim Breckner spoke to reporters shortly after Premier Moe departed on his flight. Breckner quoted Statistics Canada data which shows Saskatchewan exports to China have fallen 28.8 per cent year-to-date, and by 48.5 per cent comparing July 2024 to July 2025.