Sask. farmers brace for more uncertainty while awaiting Trump tariff news

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Saskatchewan farmers are bracing for much uncertainty arsenic U.S. president Donald Trump threatened much tariffs connected Canadian goods.

Trump announced connected Friday greeting that he'd halted commercialized talks with Canada, partially attributing blasted to Canada's integer services tax, which was acceptable to instrumentality effect connected Monday. The taxation was retroactive to 2022, truthful companies would person ended up with a $2-billion US measure owed by the extremity of July.

Trump said helium would beryllium sharing details astir caller tariffs connected the state wrong the pursuing 7 days. The details of what products would beryllium tariffed, and by however much, were not announced.

The Canadian authorities announced Sunday evening that it was rescinding the integer services tax, "in anticipation of a mutually beneficial broad commercialized statement with the United States."

White House economical advisor Kevin Hassett said Monday connected Fox News that commercialized talks betwixt the U.S. and Canada tin present resume. It's inactive unclear whether either state volition prosecute further tariffs or destruct existing ones.

"As an agriculture producer, we cognize that the bulk of what we nutrient present successful Saskatchewan is exported," said Bill Prybylski, the president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, which represents farmers crossed the province.

"So anytime there's immoderate benignant of disruptions successful that trade, whether it beryllium from tariffs or, oregon you know, proviso concatenation disruptions oregon geopolitical issues, anytime there's a disruption successful that mean trade, we arsenic producers consciousness the effects astir immediately."

Despite the determination to rescind the integer services tax, Canada is inactive successful progressive discussions with G7 allies to present an planetary tax, with Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne starring that work, the PMO said.

Prybylski said that the turbulence brought connected by Trump's tariff threats earlier successful the twelvemonth didn't impact prices for his members precise much, mostly due to the fact that of the clip of year.

"We commencement harvesting present successful Saskatchewan successful immoderate parts precocious successful July, but much into the mediate of August, September. So tariffs astatine that clip of the twelvemonth would beryllium rather a spot much of an impact," helium said. "So surely the autumn would beryllium a overmuch much important wounded to producers if there's immoderate disruption successful that commercialized astatine that clip of year."

According to the authorities of Saskatchewan, the United States was by acold the province's largest export destination for cultivation products successful 2024, importing $5.8 cardinal worthy of goods. The adjacent largest agri-food export destinations by worth successful 2024 was China astatine $3.7 cardinal and India astatine $1.0 billion.

Foreign cultivation exports to each countries person besides accrued by much than 30 per cent since 2014, it reported. In 2024, agriculture accounted for 41 per cent of Saskatchewan's full overseas exports.

According to Statistics Canada, successful 2023 Saskatchewan exported $27 cardinal worthy of goods to the United States. That was implicit fractional of the province's full overseas exports. Crude oil, potash and refined canola lipid comprised 70 per cent of the exports successful dollar terms.

Simon Enoch, a Saskatchewan-based researcher astatine the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said that Saskatchewan is successful somewhat of an advantageous presumption successful tariff negotiations. That's due to the fact that of however galore important commodities it exports to the United States comparative to different provinces.

"The U.S. truly needs immoderate of our cardinal resources, chiefly uranium potash and lipid and gas. And Trump has shown successful the past that he's reluctant to enactment tariffs connected those," helium said.

"That being said, erstwhile again, adjacent the specified menace tin alteration concern decisions successful our state and, you know, astir the country."

Enoch said he's skeptical that the tariffs volition travel to fruition, successful airy of past walk-backs made by Trump earlier this year.  

"This is the aforesaid benignant of script we've seen played retired implicit and implicit and implicit again with this administration," said Enoch. "Anything that they find they don't like, they instantly spell to the tariff threat. And I deliberation what's proven successful the past is we person to basal up to them connected these sorts of bully tactics."