OTTAWA – Recently, the Chinese government canceled the canola import permit for one of Canada’s largest grain processors, Winnipeg-based Richardson International, citing insect infestation concerns.
Conservatives know the issue at hand is not the quality of Canada’s world class canola. Canola is a Canadian success story and our farmers produce the best in the world. Rather, this calls into question Justin Trudeau’s ongoing failure to handle Canada’s relationship with China.
The canola industry is highly trade dependent, exporting more than 85% of canola products on an annual basis. Therefore, industry success is directly related to its ability to access and compete in global markets.
The impacts these unfounded actions by the Chinese government will have on Canada’s agriculture and canola sector are deeply concerning. Approximately 40% of Canadian canola exports go to China, with a value of approximately $3.6B in 2017. The sector contributes more than 250,000 Canadian jobs and $11.2 billion in wages, there is a lot at stake for our rural communities.
While Trudeau continues to fail to manage Canada’s faltering relationship with China, our farmers are the ones paying the price. Never in recent history has a government demonstrated such indifference towards agriculture.
Canada’s Conservatives have requested an emergency meeting of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee to discuss the Trudeau government’s lack of action on this important file. Justin Trudeau must stand up for Canada’s canola industry and demand that the Chinese government stop these baseless actions against Canada’s agriculture sector.
Canadian farmers cannot keep paying for Liberal mistakes.