Two of Canada’s premiers are urging the federal government to lift its tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles in hopes it may lead to Beijing removing its own duties on Canadian canola.
“Seize the chance presented by recent remarks from the Chinese ambassador to Canada,” said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“He indicated that China is ready to lift its tariffs on Canadian canola and pork if Canada removes the 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles.”
Kinew was referring to remarks made by ambassador Wang Di through a translator in an interview aired Sunday on CTV.
Canada has had a 100 per cent tariff on China’s EVs since October 2024, an obligation imposed in lockstep with the USA, arguing the move was to guard the country’s automobile industry.
In August, China imposed a tariff of nearly 76 per cent on Canadian canola seed after an anti-dumping investigation into the country’s canola crop.
Each canola farmers and Ottawa have rejected claims of dumping, arguing exporters have followed rules-based trade.
Within the wake of the duties, premiers within the Prairie provinces have urged constructive discussions with China and for EV tariffs to be dropped.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who previously said removing the EV tariffs wouldn’t be an easy fix, travelled to China in September for meetings with Beijing officials.
His office said in an announcement last week that each countries must proceed to speak with each other.

On Sunday, Moe posted on X that Wang’s comments are a “clear signal” of how the federal government “can act this week” as Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand visits China.
“It’s time for Ottawa to get this deal done on behalf of 200K Canadian employees,” he wrote.

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Anand begins her trip to Asia Monday in Delhi and is predicted to comment Tuesday.
Moe’s remarks come after latest data from Statistics Canada this past week showed the province exported $96 million in goods to China in August, a 76-per cent drop in comparison to the identical month last 12 months.
About 60 per cent of the province’s exports to China are farming and food products and the info shows they’ve been declining since June.
Though Kinew, Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have all called for a removal, other federal and provincial politicians have taken the other stance.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a letter to Carney last month that the tariffs are “critical to protecting” jobs within the province.
“At a time when our automotive sector is under enormous financial pressures due to President Trump’s tariffs, Canada’s tariff on Chinese-made EVs is critical to protecting greater than 157,000 direct jobs in Ontario and tons of of hundreds of indirect jobs across the country,” Ford wrote within the letter.
International trade lawyer Mark Warner told Global News that Ford’s stance will not be surprising as Canada hasn’t opened its markets to China’s EVs.

“We’re asking farmers to take it within the teeth for something that basically isn’t being produced in Canada yet,” Warner said.
He added the disagreements from politicians on handle the trade dispute may prove helpful for Beijing.
“Obviously, China knows what sectors to squeeze to get an increase out of Canadian politicians,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also stood firm on the tariffs.
“China wants these electric vehicles to be roving surveillance operations on our streets,” Poilievre said.
Despite the calls from the Prairie premiers, the federal government has given no signal they might drop their duties first.
Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne’s office told The Canadian Press in mid-September that a review was underway into the choice to impose the EV tariffs, but wouldn’t say when the review began or when it can end.
“We’ve begun more intense engagement with China with respect, initially, to canola and other agricultural products,” Carney said in early September. “It’s too early to come back to any conclusions.”
Carney met together with his counterpart Li Qiang while on the United Nations last month and a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office said the 2 leaders discussed canola and electric vehicles.
—with files from Global News’ Jillian Piper and The Canadian Press
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