Poilievre demands action from Ottawa on canola tariffs during stop in Saskatoon
WATCH: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a stop in Saskatoon Thursday ahead of his byelection next week.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Mark Carney's weak leadership is costing Canadians, and it's time to speak up and defend Western Canada's canola producers.
'It's like he doesn't care about Western Canadian producers,' Poilievre said. 'I had my team check his Twitter account. He hasn't tweeted a single thing about canola. Yet, he's been able to tweet about International Cat Day.'
China's latest tariff on canola — this time a 75.8 per cent rate targeting canola seed imports — was put into action Thursday following an anti-dumping investigation, escalating a year-long trade dispute.
Beijing previously imposed 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and meal in March, effectively stagnating Canada's second largest foreign Canola market.
The latest tariff has been seen as a response to the previous Liberal government's decision last year to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles in 2024.
Poilievre made a stop at a farm just outside Saskatoon Thursday ahead of a byelection in Alberta, where Poilievre is looking to regain his seat in the House of Commons. He wouldn't directly answer a question if Ottawa should repeal its EV tariff, but said revenue from that tariff should go to producers.
'The money raised from the by the Canadian government in that dispute should go back to the people who are paying the bills,' Poilievre said. 'And that, of course, is mostly our canola producers.'
Bill Prybylski, the president of the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan who farms west of Yorkton, says urgent action is needed from the Prime Minister soon.
'He's got to do something because right now it looks like we're being sacrificed,' Prybylski said. 'Sacrificing canola producers to save an EV industry that for the most part, is non-existent in the country.'
Prybylski says while initial downturn in the market resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for an industry which contributes more than $43 billion to the economy and employs roughly 200,000 people, he expects more uncertainty in the days and weeks ahead with harvest quickly approaching.
On Thursday afternoon, Carney took to X to provide an update, saying he spoke with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. He said both men are 'focused on a series of measures to support hard-working farmers.'
Carney says Canada does not dump canola, a key motivation for the tariff.
'We will advance a constructive dialogue with Chinese officials to address our respective trade concerns, while diversifying our trade abroad and supporting our canola producers at home,' the statement read.
Prybylski appreciates the federal government's efforts, but says the situation is disappointing. He feels Saskatchewan farmers are caught in the middle of a trade war the federal government started.
'We're basically helpless here,' he said. 'Other than we can advocate for changes and hope that our voices are being heard.'
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