Why Carney changed course on China |
Canada ran out of options. Years of damage to farm exports made delay a luxury Canada could no longer afford
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The trade feud between Canada and China is finally thawing—and it was long overdue.
The rupture began in 2018 with the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive of Huawei, in Vancouver. What followed was not merely a diplomatic dispute but a calculated economic response.
China weaponized trade, and Canadian agriculture became collateral damage. Canola, pork, lobster, and other agri-food exports faced punitive tariffs and informal barriers for years. Before the dispute, China was one of Canada’s largest export markets for canola and other agri-food products, making the impact both immediate and severe.
This week’s announcement confirms what many in agri-food already understood. Canada could not afford to let that standoff linger any longer.
The deal with China was not about choosing China over the U.S. It was about choosing reality over ideology.
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Ottawa is still dodging the China interference threat
Canada holds the upper hand in any canola deal with China