It’s still not clear what Canadian agriculture stands to lose, or gain, in a U.S.-Canada trade deal as talks continue in Washington.
“These (tariffs) are really important for Canada and the Canadian ag and food sector,” said Farm Credit Canada chief economist Craig Johnston on Wednesday.
“Whether tariffs are implemented, modified, delayed, replaced, you know, these constant shifts in policy that we’re seeing… just really make it difficult for businesses to plan to make confident business decisions, and that’s going to weigh on investment and weigh on productivity growth as you move forward.”
WHY IT MATTERS: U.S. President Donald Trump put a pause on 50 per cent tariffs set to come into effect Aug. 19, but future trade details between Canada and its largest trading partner remain in limbo.
As of Thursday morning, Canada’s minister responsible for trade with the U.S., Dominic LeBlanc, is due to meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. EDT, his office said. Canada’s chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, will also attend the meeting.
LeBlanc and Greer met on Wednesday and reported significant progress toward a deal that would stave off a U.S. threat to impose extra tariffs starting on Saturday, Aug. 22. Those tariffs, if imposed, would cover a list of Canadian dairy products, alcohol, wool and honey, among many other items.
Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand at the White House later on Thursday.
Here is what we know so far about the deal.
Click here to see more...