Canadian and American legislators join cross-border organizations to build strong relationships between the two nations
WINNIPEG — Canada’s agriculture industry is in a Sword of Damocles situation.
In this case, the sword dangling overhead is U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and whether he will impose 25 per cent tariffs on a broad swath of agricultural commodities, including grains, oilseeds, meat and livestock from Canada.
What might prevent the sword from dropping, or limit the damage, are the associations and informal groups that have built strong relationships between state and provincial legislators in the two countries.
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Jeff Bereza, an MLA from central Manitoba, joined one of those organizations in early January.
Bereza, who is from Portage la Prairie, was elected to the board of the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) at its agricultural summit in Des Moines, Iowa.
The organization promotes and fosters co-operation among lawmakers on both sides of the border. Leaders from 50 U.S. states and eight provinces are members of SARL.
“Ontario is meeting with our U.S. and Canadian agric-food trade partners at the SARL summit in Des Moines, Iowa, to boost ties and to seek new trade opportunities,” the Ontario agriculture department said on X (Twitter).
Bereza said he wanted to join the group because it’s a forum to advance common goals.
“Everyone who attends (the summit) shares an interest in working together to solve problems and create new partnerships on both sides of the border,” Bereza said.
“Everyone I spoke to, whether Canadian or American, agreed that we have much in common regardless of our borders.”
This sort of co-operation is desperately needed in this moment because Trump appears determined to inflict economic pain on Canada. He is convinced that the United States has an unfair trade deficit with Canada.
Leaders within America’s agriculture and food sector could have something to say about Trump’s tariffs. Canada is the No. 2 market for U.S. agricultural exports with sales of US $28.4 billion in 2023, using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Such data may not sway Trump, but groups such as SARL illustrate that Canada and the U.S. can co-operate to build prosperity together.
In addition to SARL, provincial leaders regularly meet with U.S. governors. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was in Las Vegas in early December for the Western Governors’ Association winter meeting.
Personal relationships between state and provincial officials could be critical for Canadian agriculture during the Trump presidency.
