Albertans should buy local and support Canadian farmers in the face of a looming Canada-U.S. tariff war, say Sturgeon County farmers.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports (10 per cent for energy imports) starting Feb. 4. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatened to bring in similar tariffs on some $30 billion in U.S. goods on that same day.
The two leaders agreed on Feb. 3 to hold off on the tariffs for 30 days after Canada committed to improve its border security.
The tariffs, should they come into force, carry grave implications for farmers on both side of the border. Some $72.5 billion in agricultural goods crossed the Canada-U.S. border in 2023, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reports, with some $32 billion coming into Canada and $40.5 billion going to the U.S.
Someone’s going to have to absorb these tariff costs, whether it be Canadian farmers or American consumers, said Rick White, president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association.
“I think there’s going to be pain on both sides of the border.”
Export pain
Canola producers are particularly worried about tariffs because the U.S. is their biggest export market, White said. Canada sent $8.6 billion in canola south of the border in 2023. Some $6.3 billion of that was canola oil, which was used in everything from biofuels to McDonald’s french fries.
“The fear is that in order to access that market, we’ll have to take a 25 per cent cut off our prices,” White said, which could make farming nonviable for some.
It would be challenging for Canadian farmers to change their crop rotations to get out of canola if that happened, White continued. American farmers, meanwhile, might see a chance to expand production. Canada would also struggle to replace the U.S. as a customer, given that they buy close to seven million tonnes of our canola — nearly twice the amount we sell to China.
“There’s just not a market that big around the world that can take this on,” White said.
Karen Shaw, a Sturgeon County beef farmer and delegate with the Alberta Beef Producers, said tariffs would make beef much more expensive. Cows sometimes cross the border four times before they reach stores, and they would be slapped with tariffs each time they entered the U.S. Those higher costs could encourage more farmers to exit the beef sector at a time when herds are already shrinking.
“It’s extremely worrisome,” she said.
Import gains?
Canada has proposed counter-tariffs on many American agricultural products — including poultry, milk and cheese, eggs, honey, fruits, and certain grains and vegetables — which could benefit Alberta farmers.
Tam Andersen of Prairie Gardens Adventure Farm said this tariff spat has also encouraged Canadians to buy local, which could prompt farmers to invest more into crops affected by the counter-tariffs.
“There are so many options in the local fruit scene,” she said, with plenty of apples, berries, and even lemons available to grow in Alberta greenhouses.
Shaw called on the federal government to stand up for Canadians and find its farmers new trading partners. She also called on Canadians to boycott American products and buy Alberta beef, as she planned to do.
“These tariffs, it’s all about getting access to Canadian resources,” she said.
“It’s a bully power play and it’s going to affect all the prices of food, everything that’s on our plate.”
Andersen advised Albertans to hedge their bets on their grocery bill by growing their own food.
“Keep calm and plan a garden.”
