When the new year dawns, most remaining tariffs on agricultural products traded between Canada and the United States will disappear.
It will mark the end of what was to be a 10-year tariff phase-out that started in 1989 with the implementation of the Canada-U.S. free trade deal.
The process was escalated.
It will also signal the final implementation of a free-trade vision first widely promoted across Western Canada by Liberal leader Wilfrid Laurier during the 1891 election, which the Conservatives won on a protectionist platform.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
After Jan. 1, 1998, the only agricultural tariffs affecting American imports into Canada will be those applied to dairy and poultry products in the supply-managed sectors as a substitute for quantity restrictions.
Under international trade rules, those high tariffs are declining but will be around for years yet.
Trade deal complete
“The process is now completed,” said Agriculture Canada trade official Phil Douglas .
“After that, since there is little (import) trade in supply-managed products, 99.9 percent of our imports (from the U.S.) will be duty free.”
The final step will not require a major tariff reduction, however, since existing tariffs on hundreds of agricultural products now are between zero and one-tenth of their 1989 level.
The tariff on wheat imports is now 44.2 cents per tonne. On barley, it is 23 cents.
The tariff on stuffed pasta is 1.7 percent.
