Team Canada Approach for Agriculture

Mar 10, 2025
By Jean-Paul McDonald
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Ministers of Agriculture Unite to Support Canadian Agriculture Amid U.S. Tariffs

“As Ministers of Agriculture, we are united in our commitment to support our hardworking producers and to keep the sector strong. Our partnership is more important than ever as we stand together in the face of this uncertainty and work to find solutions to weather this storm,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food after his meeting with the Honourable Ron Kostyshyn, Manitoba Minister of Agriculture, and colleagues -- provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture.

The meeting was held as part of ongoing discussions related to the impacts and potential responses to unjustified tariffs being implemented by the United States.

Following their meeting of February 7, 2025, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment in taking a united ‘Team Canada’ approach to support the agriculture and agri-food sector in response to tariffs being levied by the United States.

The agriculture and agri-food sector plays a vital role in the Canadian economy, creating jobs, and feeding millions both domestically and abroad.

Ministers discussed various coordinated approaches to help Canadian agri-food producers and processors diversify international trade as well as to boost internal trade options.

Ministers noted the importance of utilizing the suite of business risk management (BRM) programs to meet the current and future needs of producers. On March 7, the federal Government announced that the interest-free limit under the Advance Payments Program will be set at $250,000 for 2025. This change will represent estimated savings of up to $65 million for over 13,000 producers.

Canada is a globally-trusted trading partner and all orders of government are committed to ongoing engagement with key partners to help ensure that the Canadian agriculture sector remains strong and Canada continues to be a source of world-class products that contribute to global food security.

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