Calgary (Rural Roots Canada) – Amidst the pancake breakfasts and rodeo fun at the Calgary Stampede, canola farmers were looking for updates on tariffs with China.

Andre Harpe, Chair of Alberta Canola and the Canadian Canola Growers Association, met with Prime Minister Mark Carney face-to-face, and trade with China was top of mind.

“It was a great opportunity to have,” says Harpe. “It’s not every day you get the chance to chat with the prime minister. All we did was share our concerns about what’s going on right now with China and the tariffs, so it was a good conversation.”

Earlier this year, China slapped retaliatory tariffs on canola and other ag products in response to trade restrictions imposed by Canada on Chinese-made electric vehicles, steel, and aluminum products. It has created considerable concern among canola growers.

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Harpe says the two had a good discussion, with the prime minister acknowledging their concerns, adding he understood the importance of the issues for Canada’s canola farmers. However, no timelines to resolve the dispute were given.

“The only thing he really did comment on was that he had had a phone call with the president of China, and that it was discussed. That’s as far as he would go with it,” says Harpe.

Trade disputes often result in Canada’s ag sector being targeted for tariffs, and the uncertainty of it all is what causes the most worry.

“It always seems like agriculture and agricultural goods are at the forefront of any tariff war,” notes Harpe. “When you take what’s happening in China, and then the threat of what was going to happen with the United States for a while, it was looking absolutely devastating.”

As the trade dispute lingers on, canola farmers are hoping ongoing talks at the top will translate into action on the ground.