Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, and John Barlow, Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food, released the following statement on the government’s lack of support for Canada’s canola growers:
“Mark Carney pitched himself as a negotiator who could get deals for Canada when it mattered most.
“When the Communist government in Beijing imposed their first round of canola tariffs back in March, Carney pledged that his government would ‘escalate its engagement with China at the highest level to seek the removal of these tariffs’.
“Four months and one election later, Beijing imposed additional tariffs of more than 75 percent on Canadian canola seed. Today, there is still no resolution. Meanwhile, the Liberals gave BC Ferries a billion-dollar, taxpayer-funded loan to buy Chinese-made ships.
“This is no small matter for our farmers. Their canola exports to China totalled $5 billion last year, and Canadian producers are now shut out of what had been their second-largest market after the United States.
“With no deal in sight – and producers already harvesting this year’s crop – whether that’s in Battle River-Crowfoot or elsewhere across the country, Carney’s expansion of the Advance Payment Program is simply not enough, and still leaves farmers holding the bag. As the Canadian Canola Growers Association succinctly put it: ‘farmers should not be expected to borrow their way out of this situation’.
“Conservatives reiterate our willingness to work with the government to get the best deal for our farmers. But we also demand real solutions to help our producers stay in business – not just new loans to bridge the gap.
“When Parliament sits next week, Canada’s canola growers should know that we’re in their corner.”