China and the Council of the Federation Meeting

July 18, 2025

Hon. Danielle Smith
Premier of Alberta
Government of Alberta

Hon. Scott Moe
Premier of Saskatchewan
Government of Saskatchewan

Hon. Wab Kinew
Premier of Manitoba
Government of Manitoba

RE: China and the Council of the Federation Meeting

Dear Premiers,

On behalf of the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) and the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), we are writing to you to highlight the importance of the Chinese market for the Canadian canola industry and to raise our concerns with recent federal government action that could make an already challenging situation with this vital trading partner even more so. These are extraordinary and challenging times for the Canadian canola industry as we navigate unprecedented trade uncertainty with our top two export markets, the U.S. and China. Collectively, these two markets represent $12.6 billion in canola export value in 2024 of which China accounted for approximately $5 billion.

Canola’s success is Canada’s success. As a made-in-Canada innovation and Canada’s most valuable crop, the canola industry contributes approximately $43.7 billion a year to the economy and supports, directly and indirectly, over 200,000 jobs in production, transportation, processing, refining and food development, manufacturing, and service. Our organizations represent all links of this value chain including canola growers, life science companies, exporters, processors, and other industry participants.

Thanks to the advocacy of your governments, together with the entire canola value chain, we are pleased that there has recently been increased engagement, at the highest levels, between the Canadian federal government and China. This is a positive step forward in the bilateral relationship and the anticipated revival of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETC) between Canada and China will be an important forum to address ongoing trade issues, including the anti-discrimination tariffs on Canadian canola meal and oil and other agricultural products and the ongoing anti-dumping investigation on Canadian canola seed, among them.

The Prime Minister’s engagement with the Chinese Premier and the Minister of International Trade’s meeting with his counterpart from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on the margins of recent OECD meetings, were important initial steps towards recalibrating the political relationship between Ottawa and Beijing.

However, we are concerned that more recent action by the federal government against Chinese steel has the potential to undermine and, indeed, reverse these recent positive steps; in fact, for some time, we and other industry partners have cautioned the federal government that further escalatory action against China could jeopardize advancement and resolution of various trade issues with China. While we empathise with the challenges being faced by the steel and aluminum sectors as a result of additional U.S. tariffs, the canola industry (and indeed other industries in the agri-food sector) continue to be collateral damage as a result of federal government actions targeting China. This includes the current anti-discrimination tariffs on $1 billion worth of canola meal and oil exports to China, the significant cost to our members to comply with the anti-dumping investigation, and the risk that an anti-dumping duty could be applied at any time to $4 billion worth of canola seed exports to China. The impact of these measures taken by China, in response to previous actions by the Canadian federal government, are being felt throughout the canola value chain.

With the Prime Minister attending the Council of the Federation meeting on July 22, 2025, in Ontario, we urge you to raise these concerns directly with him. Western Canadian farmers and the entire canola value chain are facing significant challenges and require positive federal government action and engagement to restore and secure smooth, predictable bilateral trade with China. Recent actions against China continue to put this market access at significant risk.

We thank you and your Ministers for your continued advocacy on behalf of the canola industry and look forward to continuing our collaboration as we work towards a resolution of these issues.

Sincerely,

Rick White
President & CEO
Canadian Canola Growers Association

Chris Davison
President & CEO
Canola Council of Canada

The Canola Council of Canada is a full value chain organization representing canola growers, processors, life science companies and exporters. For more information, visit canolacouncil.org or follow the CCC on X @canolacouncil.

Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) represents canola farmers on national and international issues, policies, and programs that impact farm profitability and has been an administrator of the Government of Canada’s Advance Payments Program since 1984. For more information, follow CCGA on X @ccga_ca and LinkedIn.