Ottawa wants feedback on potential trade deal

Jan 10, 2023

Canada is exploring a free trade agreement with Ecuador

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The federal government is asking Canadians to submit comments about a potential trade deal with a South American country.

On Jan. 6, Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of international trade, export promotion, small business and economic development, announced public consultations on a potential free trade agreement between Canada and Ecuador.

“These consultations will be instrumental as we continue to foster economic resilience in the region,” she said in a statement. “Canada and Ecuador enjoy strong and growing trade investment ties. I look forward to deepening our relationship with Ecuador and creating more opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers.”

Canadians have until Feb. 21, 2023, to provide their comments.

Once submitted, the government will use them to define Canada’s priorities in trade negotiations.

Canada already exports millions of dollars of products to Ecuador.

In 2021, Canada exported $573.3 million of goods to Ecuador compared to $354 million in 2020.

This represents an increase of about 45.3 per cent from 2020.

Canadian ag plays a pivotal role in the trade relationship between the two countries.

Canada’s main ag exports to Ecuador include wheat, lentils, oats, barley and peas.

In 2021, Ecuador imported $317.37 million of cereals, $19.87 million of vegetables, 1.48 million of oilseeds and fruits, and $10.26 million of fertilizers.

Canada purchased $379.9 million of products from Ecuador in 2021.

Ecuador’s main ag products exported to Canada include tropical fruits, cacao, flowers and seafood.

Farms.com has contacted Canadian ag organizations for comment on the upcoming trade talks with Ecuador and how agriculture can play a role in the negotiations.

Video: Spring 2026 weather outlook for Wisconsin; What an early-arriving El Niño could mean

Northeast Wisconsin is a small corner of the world, but our weather is still affected by what happens across the globe.

That includes in the equatorial Pacific, where changes between El Niño and La Niña play a role in the weather here -- and boy, have there been some abrupt changes as of late.

El Niño and La Niña are the two phases of what is collectively known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO for short. These are the swings back and forth from unusually warm to unusually cold sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean along the equator.

Since this past September, we have been in a weak La Niña, which means water temperatures near the Eastern Pacific equator have been cooler than usual. That's where we're at right now.

Even last fall, the long-term outlook suggested a return to neutral conditions by spring and potentially El Niño conditions by summer.

But there are some signs this may be happening faster than usual, which could accelerate the onset of El Niño.

Over the last few weeks, unusually strong bursts of westerly winds farther west in the Pacific -- where sea surface temperatures are warmer than average -- have been observed. There is a chance that this could accelerate the warming of those eastern Pacific waters and potentially push us into El Niño sooner than usual.

If we do enter El Nino by spring -- which we'll define as the period of March, April and May -- there are some long-term correlations with our weather here in Northeast Wisconsin.

Looking at a map of anomalously warm weather, most of the upper Great Lakes doesn't show a strong correlation, but in general, the northern tiers of the United States do tend to lean to that direction.

The stronger correlation is with precipitation. El Niño conditions in spring have historically come with a higher risk of very dry weather over that time frame, so this will definitely be a transition we'll have to watch closely as we move out of winter.