Saskatoon, SK (March 10, 2025) – The Wheat Growers of Canada are outraged at the latest blow to Canadian agriculture—a 100% tariff on rapeseed oil, rapeseed meal, and pea products, along with a 25% tariff on pork and seafood imports imposed by China. These devastating trade sanctions are the direct result of the Liberal government’s reckless economic policies, weak global leadership, and failure to defend Canadian farmers on the world stage.
Instead of standing up for Canadian agriculture and securing stable trade relationships, this government has been asleep at the wheel, too distracted with political games and virtue signaling to notice the economic disaster unfolding before them. Farmers and business owners warned the government that its approach to China, including ill-conceived tariffs on electric vehicles and metals, would provoke retaliation. Now, those fears have become reality—and the very people who feed this country are paying the price.
While Prime Minister Trudeau stumbles from crisis to crisis, provincial leaders are left to pick up the pieces—fighting for our farmers while Ottawa continues to ignore the economic catastrophe they’ve created. “It is deeply ironic that we are fighting to protect free trade with the U.S. against their 25% tariff threat while imposing even steeper tariffs on China,” says Gunter Jochum, President of the Wheat Growers. “The hypocrisy lies in the federal government’s attempt to shield us from tariffs while simultaneously burdening others with even harsher ones. This only reinforces the urgent need for change.”
The federal government must act immediately. The Wheat Growers demand:
- Financial compensation commensurate with the losses incurred
- An end to interprovincial trade barriers so Canadian producers can operate freely and competitively within their own country.
- Investment in critical infrastructure to ensure agricultural exports move efficiently to global markets.
- Leverage trade agreements that diversify Canada’s markets and build credibility with global partners.
- Regulatory reform to attract investment, build confidence, and ensure a predictable, science-based trade policy.
“This crisis is entirely self-inflicted,” said Jochum. “The Liberal government has made Canada an unreliable trading partner, allowed our international reputation to erode, and now, they’ve put farmers in the crosshairs of a global trade war. While other nations secure new trade deals and expand market access, Canada is losing ground, losing allies, and losing business.”
The Wheat Growers of Canada will not stand by while this government continues to sacrifice Western farmers for its own political missteps. We call on Ottawa to take immediate and decisive action before this crisis spirals further out of control.
For more information, please contact:
Darcy Pawlik | Executive Director
Direct: (306) 361-5667
dpawlik@wheatgrowers.ca