QUESTION PERIOD — Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canola--World Trade Organization
May 1, 2019
Senator Harder, the increase under the Advance Payments Program that your government announced this morning was requested by Premier Moe of Saskatchewan at the end of March, yet it took over a month for your government to accomplish even this one step for our farmers.
This morning, Minister Carr announced a canola trade mission to South Korea and Japan. Let’s hope he doesn’t confuse Japan with China, as his boss did on the weekend.
Minister Carr also told reporters that he wouldn’t yet commit to launching a complaint at the World Trade Organization.
As I said, leader, China won’t respond to the minister’s request to send a delegation of agricultural experts, so clearly this dispute is not science-based.
Why is Minister Carr wasting more time by not bringing this matter to the WTO?
I thank the honourable senator for his question.
These are serious matters. I would hope that we, particularly in this place, can ensure that as we address these issues, we don’t seek partisan advantage for a situation in which Canadian stakeholders find themselves. Let’s all work together and use all of the available contacts. I know that there are senators in this chamber, on both sides, who have very significant contacts with stakeholders and friends in China. It will take all Canadian efforts not only to put in place a remedy for the canola exporters and farmers but for those other Canadians who are affected very directly and tragically in some of the circumstances in which they find themselves.
Let’s find a way forward in which we work together to achieve Canada’s best interests.
