Tariffs, trade dominate discussion at Canadian Crops Convention

Glacier FarmMedia—Tariffs, trade and Trump were the talk of the town at the 2025 Canadian Crops Convention in Edmonton on Mar. 4-6.

The U.S. implemented 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods the morning of the opening day of the convention, which had speaker and attendees focused heavily on the cross-border trade conflict.

A pause was placed on the tariffs just hours after the convention wrapped up.

Right from the start of the speaking agenda, tariffs took the spotlight.

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Economic challenges nothing new

Economist Todd Hirsch told attendees that although the political landscape and and the economic uncertainty it has created are troubling, it’s not the first time the Canadian and global economies have faced major economic changes.

He said major global events like 9/11, stock market crashes and the Covid-19 pandemic have shook the global economy in the past, but it has always pulled through.

“What is happening today isn’t all that unusual. I mean, this exact situation is unusual, but we’ve been through these sort of cataclysmic shifts in reality in the past. And we got through them,” Hirsch said.

“Everything has shifted, and now the path forward is very, very unclear. But there are lots of examples of when we moved forward.”

‘Darkest day’ says Harper

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was the convention’s final speaker, and he did not mince words when it came to the U.S. enforcing its tariffs on Canada.

“What happened on Tuesday with the imposition of these across-the-board tariffs, as a Canadian and from the standpoint of our nation, was the darkest day I have experienced since I left Ottawa. This is a very worrisome thing,” he said.

But he added that it is not all gloom and doom, as he does not expect the heavy-handed sweeping tariffs to last too long.

“We need to remember that no organization in the United States with any significance is asking for this. It really is the agenda of the President himself. And secondly, let’s not forget that while we are going to be hurt by this, it is Americans who are going to be hurt right away… So I think there will be pressure in the United States that will grow for this to be addressed,” Harper said.

“In my opinion, we should be calm, and I think try to be optimistic… Now, staying calm doesn’t mean we don’t retaliate. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a plan. But we should stay calm.”

Don’t make drastic moves: Castillo

North American Export Grain Association president Alejandra Castillo said during a multi-national panel discussing cross-border perspectives that with the tariff situation constantly changing on a near-daily basis, it is important right now to take things day-by-day and not make too many drastic moves.

“I think we need to go away from trying to interpret the president and lending an understanding that things are just going to happen the way he wants them to happen. As the market, our job is going to be to remain calm… I know that’s easier said than done. But if you get lost in interpretation mode, I feel that we’re going to get away from the point,” Castillo said.

With a pause now placed on U.S. tariffs against Canada, the conversation around the issue may take on a different tone in Canadian agriculture. But it is a conversation which will continue as the industry attempts to navigate the future of its trade relationship with the U.S.