QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Agricultural Exports
June 5, 2019
Thank you, senator. In addition to the dispute with India, we’re currently involved in a dispute with China over canola exports, as all senators are aware.
As well — and I was surprised by this — Italy, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Vietnam have all placed barriers on agricultural trade with Canada in recent years. I’m not sure what’s happening, but I’m hearing all of this. I’m hearing all of these problems facing our farmers. Senator Harder, what is the government doing to help remove these obstacles for our farmers?
I thank the honourable senator for the question. She’ll know that the government has been very active in working with producers and the export industry in advancing the marketplace that is available to us. The Canada-Europe free trade agreement has been a significant bonus. I can produce the figures that demonstrate the way in which the market has grown for Canadian producers.
I would also point to the CPTPP as the basis of opportunity, particularly in Japan, as I referenced earlier. That is a cooperative effort with producers to husband those markets.
The agricultural sector globally is being challenged by serial tariff policies of various governments. The view of the Government of Canada is that tariffs are not appropriate and that we should work bilaterally and multilaterally to eliminate those tariffs.
In the meantime, as the senator will know, the Government of Canada, through its support of the agricultural sector, is providing ongoing support to our producers.
