Prairie canola producers brace for ‘devastating’ 100 per cent tariffs from China

Canola farmers are bracing for impact as China looks to impose hefty tariffs on their industry in response to Canadian tariffs on the country’s electric vehicle exports.

Just mere weeks away from when farmers plant their first seeds, China is to enact a 100 per cent levy on Canadian canola oil and meal, plus a 25 per cent duty on seafood and pork.

“All in all, it’s just bad news,” said Clinton Monchuck, a fourth-generation canola farmer from Lanigan, Sask.

The tariffs come in response to Canada’s 100 per cent levies on Chinese-made EVs and a 25 per cent tax on aluminum and steel products. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau said China had claimed an unfair advantage that was hurting Canada’s auto industry.

It’s unclear how consumers will be affected by the tariffs, but industry players say the sticker price of canola oil may not increase in Canada. The federal government has said China’s tariffs are unjustified, but it has not announced any concrete plans to help canola farmers.

“From the beginning, our focus has been and will continue to be the protection of Canadian workers and the unwavering support of our hard-working farmers,” read a Tuesday joint statement from three federal cabinet ministers including Agriculture Minister Kody Blois.