Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Canada was forced to abandon its 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles, calling the levy untenable and driven more by politics than sound trade policy.Blacklock's Reporter says speaking after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the repeal of the tariff, Moe rejected claims the move favoured Saskatchewan at the expense of other provinces, despite Beijing agreeing to sharply reduce duties on Canadian canola exports as part of the deal.“To say this is favouring one province or another, that is just simply not a true statement,” Moe said. “This is a decision that is in the best interest of Canada. Yes, we have some work to do.”Under the agreement announced Friday, Ottawa lifted its 100% tariff on Chinese battery electric vehicles, opening roughly half of Canada’s EV market to Chinese manufacturers. In return, China reduced its punitive tariff on Canadian canola seed from 84% to 15% from March 1 through the end of the year.Moe said the agreement restores access for Saskatchewan farmers without delivering any additional advantage beyond what existed before the trade dispute. “From an agricultural perspective, this gets us back to where we were a year ago, no more, no less,” he said, praising Carney’s handling of the negotiations.Ontario Premier Doug Ford was furious over the deal..But Moe argued Canada’s original tariff was never sustainable. “Canada had put on a 100% tariff on electric vehicles. It was not World Trade Organization compliant,” Moe said. “It was responded to politically by the government of China with an 85% tariff on canola seed, as well as 76% on canola meal and pulses.”Moe said the removal of the tariff reflected a return to practical trade policy rather than political signalling. “When the tariff went on, it was likely more political than what happened in the past week when it was removed,” he said. “This is a beneficial deal.”The electric vehicle tariff was imposed by cabinet in 2024, with then-finance minister Chrystia Freeland citing what she described as unfair and predatory trade practices by China. Speaking to autoworkers in Ontario at the time, Freeland said Ottawa would defend Canadian workers from what she called unfair competition..Similar tariffs were imposed by the United States and European Union that year, with labour leaders warning Parliament that domestic industries were being undercut by low-cost imports. United Steelworkers national director Marty Warren told MPs cheap foreign products were threatening Canadian jobs and communities, asking, “What’s a nation without a steel industry?”Despite those concerns, Moe said Canada’s trade retaliation only escalated the dispute and hurt farmers, leaving Ottawa little choice but to reverse course.
