China announced temporary anti-dumping duties on Canadian canola, which is a significant export for Saskatchewan and Alberta Tuesday.The 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola, effective Thursday, is a strategic move that comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EV) last August, an economics professor at Concordia University, Moshe Lander, told the Western Standard.Lander explains what’s happening here:“Canada's biggest issue above everything is the US tariffs have to go away. And so, it's extremely important to try and explain to Trump that Canada is the US’s friend. He labels Canada as an enemy, as cheaters, as difficult to deal with... So, if you need to try and show your friendship, what better way to do it than to pick a fight with the US’s key adversary,” said Lander.“All that said, the entire 401 corridor is desperately trying to build up an EV industry, huge amounts of federal government investment in battery plants and trying to attract companies to develop EVs in Canada or convert existing auto manufacturing into EV manufacturing. Who's the biggest threat to Canada? It's China. So, it's probably not even something that Canada is doing because the US did something to Canada. It's probably more than that because the US is now using tariffs as an economic weapon. It emboldens every country, including Canada, to use it as a weapon as well. And so what better way to protect the Canadian auto industry than to slap tariffs on China?”.Economist says Canada-US trade deal needs fresh perspective.Lander said trade tensions have implications on the societal well-being, such as lowering the standard of living for citizens in the involved countries. He highlights the potential for escalating tariffs to disrupt global trade norms.The latest announcement could be an opportunity for Australia to sell its canola to China, but Lander said China could resort to self-sufficiency. However, free-trade deals remain the best deals, according to Lander.In response, Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s Minister of Prairies Economic Development, said counter tariffs are not necessarily off the table.“We’re very disappointed to hear about China’s tariffs on canola and we’re just in the process of formulating our response to that, but obviously we disagree with those tariffs and like we’ve done in other sectors like steel and aluminum, the federal government will make sure that we stand up for workers and protect workers in that segment,” Olszewski said.Beijing -- the largest importer of canola in the world, mostly sources its supply from Canada -- has also announced an anti-dumping probe targeting imports of pea starch -- grown and sold primarily in the Prairie provinces -- from Canada.Canada is a key supplier of canola to China. In 2023, it exported about $5 billion worth of canola products, including seed, oil, and meat to the Chinese market, making up roughly one-third of all Canadian canola exports. Canola seed alone accounted for 4.5 million tonnes, valued at $3.8 billion, showing how important this crop remains in Canada’s trade with China.Canada is also a major exporter of peas to China. In April 2025, it shipped over 214,000 tonnes of peas, with China buying about 75% of that total. During the 2023–24 crop year, Canada’s share of China’s pea imports dropped to 44.6%, as Russia overtook Canada by supplying around 1.13 million tonnes..Carney, Smith respond to Trump's newest tariffs: Here are the implications on the economy
