Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has called for the removal of Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports. “From our perspective in Saskatchewan, this tariff should be removed,” he said Tuesday, as he heads to China next week.

Moe stressed, however, that any decision must be made with the economic relationship with the United States in mind, as the United States remains Canada’s largest export market for canola. “The challenge is to keep the trade relationship strong with the United States while expanding exports to China,” he said.

In response to Canada’s electric vehicle tariffs, China has imposed a tariff of about 76 per cent on canola seeds and a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola oil and meal. The move has reduced the value of one of Canada and Saskatchewan’s most important exports by millions of dollars. Beijing alleges that Canadian companies are underselling canola to the Chinese market, a charge the Canadian government and farmers have denied.

Canada’s tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles were imposed in line with then-US President Joe Biden’s decision, and the federal government justified it as a move to support domestic investment in the electric vehicle industry.

Asked how the tariffs could be removed without creating tension with current US President Donald Trump, Mo said: “That’s the fine line we have to walk.”

Earlier, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith had also called for the tariffs to be lifted. He said Canada should manage its trade relations with the US and China separately.

Mo said he planned to meet with Chinese officials on his upcoming trip to China, and invited Prime Minister Mark Carney and federal ministers to accompany him. “Our goal is to create an environment where the Canadian prime minister and the Chinese president can reach an agreement,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan NDP opposition leader Carla Beck stressed that the main focus should be on fully eliminating China’s tariffs on Canadian canola products, and that if necessary, the issue of tariffs on electric vehicles should also be raised in the negotiations.

The federal government has given China until September, the official end of the anti-dumping investigation, to announce its final decision on the tariffs.

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