Alex Salloum
Regina Leader-Post
Ahead of Premier Scott Moe’s upcoming trip to China to talk trade and canola tariffs, the NDP Opposition has called for more transparency on what’s already been done in an effort to have the levies removed.
Saskatchewan has nine international trade offices, including one in China, the efficacy of which NDP Leader Carla Beck called into question Tuesday when asking if the province is getting its money’s worth.
The government is expected to spend $9.4 million on trade office operations in 2024-25, according to the provincial auditor’s latest report, which was published in June.
We’re asking (Moe) to show his work and to outline what, if anything, his government’s trade offices have done over the past number of months as China has stacked tariffs on top of duties, killing Saskatchewan exports,” said Beck, who noted that the auditor’s report indicates a need for benchmark evaluations of success as well as enhancements to public reporting of performance.
“We have a trade office in China and, up until now, the premier has not been able to point to anything that has been done with that trade office.”
Meanwhile, the province says it is not responsible for getting China to eliminate tariffs.
“While Premier Moe will be strongly advocating for the removal of tariffs, it will ultimately be the federal government that must engage with China to make this happen,” read an emailed statement issued Tuesday in response to the NDP’s criticisms.
Speaking later on Tuesday, Moe did not directly address Beck’s call for transparency on trade offices. However, he did offer thoughts on what would entail a successful trip and restated that it will not be one province or the employees of a foreign trade office that bring an end to the tariffs.
“My goal, and I think the expectations that I have for this particular mission, is to advance the opportunity for Prime Minister (Mark) Carney and President Xi (Jinping) to come to an agreement,” said Moe. “How can I best advocate and ensure that our prime minister and our federal government is engaging sooner with the Chinese government rather than later?”
Moe has invited Carney and other federal ministers to accompany him on the trade mission, the province’s statement added. On Tuesday, Moe did not offer an itinerary, nor did he acknowledge any federal representatives joining tChina imposed an additional 76 per cent tariff — beyond a 100 per cent tariff already in effect — on canola imports last week. The trade row started when Canada slapped a 100 per cent import tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles in August of 2024.
The announcement of additional tariffs plunged commodity prices for canola, wiping out millions of dollars as farmers look to get crops into bins.
Moe said if it was up to him, he would remove the tariffs on EVs, but he acknowledged there would have to be some consideration to what impact that will have on Canada’s already strained economic relationship with the United States.
“If there is a legitimate and serious interest in diversifying future production away from the United States of America, China is going to have to be part of that conversation,” he added.
Last week, Moe said the trip is an effort to promote future trade while addressing current tariffs “before it’s too late.”
“Saskatchewan has expressed urgency to the federal government and been clear that we need to see action now to support the over 200,000 people across Canada’s canola industry,” said Moe in a public statement on Aug. 22.
Moe is slated to depart for his six-day trip on Sept. 6.
