Ag in the House: June 16 – 20

The Conservatives continued to pressure the government to support farmers in the face of Chinese tariffs

Ag’s time in the House of Commons for question period came on June 20.

Jeremy Patzer, the Conservative MP for Swift Current-Grasslands-Kindersley in Saskatchewan, wanted answers about why the federal government is yet to support Canadian farmers as they face Chinese tariffs.

“Saskatchewan farmers have already lost out on half of their pea exports to China, and now there is a 100% tariff on the rest,” he said. “The Prime Minister promised to be different from Justin Trudeau on trade, so why is he still doing nothing to help our farmers out?”

Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald provided the response.

He reassured the House the government is doing everything it can to work towards a resolution to the ongoing tariff challenges.

“We are in a triangular trade war with two other countries. We are doing everything possible to keep the lines of communication open, and we will continue to do that,” he said. “We are investing in farmers. We are investing in ag stability. We are investing in ag marketing. We are continuing to do everything we can. I had the opportunity to visit the prairie provinces last weekend to speak first-hand to farmers. We have some of the best farmers in the world on the cutting edge of technology.”

Also on June 20, Minister MacDonald met with America’s ambassador to Canada to discuss ag trade strength between the two nations.

“When it comes to agriculture, our integrated trading relationship with the United States is one of the largest in the world – valued at over $120B – and that’s something both our countries benefit from,” MacDonald said on X.

June 20 was also the final day of Parliament before it rose for the summer break.

MPs and Senators will be back in Ottawa for the fall sitting beginning Sept. 15.