Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is calling for urgent federal action after China announced it would impose steep new tariffs on Canadian canola seed, a move he says will devastate Western Canada’s agricultural sector.
On Thursday, China is set to begin implementing preliminary anti-dumping duties of 75.8% on Canadian canola seed export, a retaliatory measure widely viewed as a response to Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The new duties come on top of existing Chinese tariffs on canola oil and a 100% tariff on canola meal imposed earlier this year.
“I’m extremely disappointed with the decision that China has made,” said Premier Moe in a public statement Tuesday. “These temporary tariffs will significantly disrupt trade, especially with China being one of the largest buyers of our canola.”
The Premier stressed that the timing of the announcement, just as Saskatchewan producers begin their harvest, will have an outsized impact on the province.
“This will have a devastating impact not only on the price points for Saskatchewan’s canola industry, but ultimately on Saskatchewan as a whole.”
Moe noted that Saskatchewan planted approximately 12 million acres of canola this year, with Canada’s canola industry contributing between $43 and $45 billion annually to the national economy and supporting over 200,000 jobs. Roughly one-third of that canola is exported to China, with a substantial portion coming from Saskatchewan.
“To put this into context, the canola industry is larger than Canada’s steel, aluminum, and electric vehicle manufacturing sectors combined,” Moe emphasized. “It is comparable in size to the Canadian forestry industry which has received national attention and support. Our canola producers deserve the same.”
The Premier said he has reached out directly to Prime Minister Mark Carney, urging immediate and high-level engagement with Beijing. “I expect to speak with the Prime Minister today,” he said. “Our agriculture minister has also been in touch with his federal counterpart, and meetings with Chinese representatives are planned later this week.”
Moe also criticized what he sees as a federal failure to proactively safeguard canola exports.
“We’ve been asking the federal government to engage with China for over a year now to create a stable trade environment. These conversations should have happened long before the tariffs were imposed.”
While acknowledging that Prime Minister Carney has initiated some diplomatic dialogue with China, Moe insisted stronger action is now required. “The next step is for the Prime Minister to meet directly with the President of China. I’ll be expressing the urgency of that meeting in our next conversation.”
The Premier also questioned the trade-offs involved in Canada’s recent tariff policy, arguing that Western Canada’s canola industry is being sacrificed to protect Eastern Canada’s electric vehicle sector.
“We as Canadians cannot sacrifice a $43 billion canola industry and 200,000 jobs, largely based in Western Canada, to protect a fledgling electric vehicle industry centered in Eastern Canada,” Moe said. “Our trade relationships are fluid and changing by the day. We need to focus on taking care of Canadians, all Canadians, at every level of government.”
Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison echoed Premier Scott Moe’s concerns, calling China’s decision to impose steep tariffs on canola seed “deeply disappointing.” In a brief statement at an event to kick off this harvest season, Harrison confirmed he has reached out to federal Agriculture Minister counterparts as well as provincial colleagues across the Prairies.
“We need the federal government, and specifically the Prime Minister, to engage directly with the President of China,” Harrison said. “We knew this was always a possibility, but now that it’s happening, immediate engagement is of the utmost importance.”