May 16, 2025
(The Dairy Site)
–
Canada's
new agriculture minister,
Heath MacDonald
, said in an interview on Thursday that tackling trade issues with
China
and
the United States
are his most pressing priorities, reported Reuters.
The two-front trade war with the world's largest economies has stressed out farmers in
Canada
, a major canola, wheat and pork exporter, and impacted spring planting plans.
MacDonald was sworn in on Tuesday and said trade issues are "center stage" after speaking with
Canada's
canola industry and provincial agriculture ministers.
Canada
faces tariffs from
China
on Canadian canola meal and oil, as well as peas, pork and seafood products. It is also bracing for an anti-dumping ruling from
China
on Canadian canola seed exports.
About half of
Canada's
canola exports, also known as rapeseed, go to
China
.
"It's front and center and it will be front and center from me towards the prime minister's office," MacDonald said of the Chinese situation.
Canada's
agriculture industry is also affected by tariffs on some products from the Trump administration, such as steel and aluminum used in agricultural machinery. There is also a long-simmering dispute over
Canada's
dairy supply management system, which restricts imports and protects Canadian production.
MacDonald said he hoped to meet with US Agriculture Secretary
Brooke Rollins
as soon as possible and to work with American congressional representatives and agriculture officials from states that benefit from cross-border agricultural trade.
He reiterated Prime Minister
Mark Carney's
position that the Canadian supply management system is off the table in trade negotiations.
"I think supply management is extremely important to
Canada
. It's certainly important to my home province and I'll do everything I can to ensure that it stays as is," said MacDonald.
MacDonald is from
Prince Edward Island
and was a member of the
House of Commons
agriculture committee. He was finance minister of the PEI provincial government.
His immediate predecessor in the agriculture portfolio was
Kody Blois
, a young member of parliament from
Nova Scotia
, who was dropped from Carney's cabinet in a surprise to many in
Canada's
agriculture industry.
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