Federal agriculture minister visits Washington as tariff deadline looms

Canada’s federal agriculture minister spent the week in Washington, the government said today, as the target date nears for the U.S. to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.

Lawrench MacAulay spent the time meeting with officials and agriculture industry representatives to talk up Canada’s value as a trading partner, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said in a news release today.

MacAulay met with officials such as Oklahoma’s secretary of agriculture Blayne Arthur, Arkansas secretary of agriculture Wes Ward, Senator John Boozeman, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and others.

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He also spoke to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s winter conference, where he underscored the integrated nature of the two countries’ supply chains and the damage tariffs may have on agricultural trade.

Tariffs still on for March 4

After comments yesterday that implied 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods might be put off until April, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated today that March 4 was the target date.

Asked if Mexico and Canada had made enough progress on curbing fentanyl shipments into the U.S., Trump said: “I don’t see that at all. No, not on drugs.”

“There are ongoing discussions with the Chinese, Mexico and Canada,” a White House official told Reuters. “We’ve gotten a good handle on the migration issue, but there are still concerns on the other issue of fentanyl deaths.”

Farmers have been warned to expect lower crop and livestock prices once tariffs are imposed, along with higher prices on things like crop protection products and natural gas in some regions.