The Grain Farmers of Ontario are calling for the federal government to create a fund to help keep Ontario farmers protected from trade disputes.
The call comes in the midst of an ongoing feud between China and Canada over canola.
There are suspicions that the ban is in retaliation of the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, but China claims that the ban is over alleged contamination issues.
“A Trade War Fund needs to be established by the Canadian government to protect Ontario grain and oilseed farmers from political decisions outside their control,” says Markus Haerle, Chairman of Grain Farmers of Ontario, in a statement.
A news release looks south of the border to American farmers, who, according to the release, received $9 billion to help recoup losses last year.
The GFO is also calling for:
- A pilot insurance program that would help farmers’ gross margins
- Defence of current markets as well as the sourcing of new ones
- Impactful climate change programs
Specifically, the last point is a politically-charged one that calls for the elimination of the federal carbon tax.
Earlier this month, the federal government announced it would help canola farmers caught in the dispute by expanding loan guarantees.
In that announcement, the government said it is already working to find replacement markets for Canadian canola.
