Liberal MP Kody Blois says to expect more ministers visiting China, after canola trip

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives at Elmsdale Lumber Yard with then-Agriculture Minister Kody Blois during a campaign stop in Elmsdale, NS on Tuesday March 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

OTTAWA — Liberal MP Kody Blois says Canadians can expect more high-level visits to China as Ottawa looks to resolve an ongoing trade conflict targeting Canadian canola.

Blois, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney, joined Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on a visit to China earlier this month to urge Beijing to drop its tariffs on Canadian canola.

“You’re going to see an increased presence of federal ministers visiting China, engaging with their counterparts, and I think there’s ultimately an opportunity for more dialogue on the trade irritants that exist between our two countries,” Blois told reporters on Friday.

China imposed significant tariffs on Canadian canola this year following Ottawa’s move to match U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

Blois said that, during the four-day trip, he and Moe visited Chinese officials in the country’s trade, foreign affairs and customs departments.

“I would characterize the meetings as positive. It was an opportunity for re-engagement,” Blois said Friday at an unrelated news conference in Wolfville, N.S.

“It is no secret that the relationship between Canada and China has not been in a great place over the last number of years, but I certainly give full credit to Premier Moe for his engagement and I was very pleased to join on behalf of the government of Canada.”

Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports in October of last year, matching a decision by former president Joe Biden, whose promise of a 100 per cent tariff took effect in late September 2024.

The federal government justified the tariff by accusing China of unfairly subsidizing its EV industry and overproducing vehicles to flood markets with cheaper cars.

China described the tariff as a “protectionist” move that harms China-Canada trade relations.

Carney met with Moe on Tuesday to talk about China’s tariffs on Canadian canola, widely seen as a retaliatory measure triggered by the electric vehicle tariff.

Speaking after his meeting with Carney, Moe said the solution to Chinese tariffs is not as simple as getting rid of the EV tariff, because it was imposed in lockstep with the U.S.

China charges a 76 per cent tariff on Canadian canola seed imports and a 100 per cent tariff on canola oil, meal and peas. China also put a 25 per cent tariff on certain Canadian pork, fish and seafood products.

China is a top canola export market for Canada, worth some $4.9 billion to the industry last year, according to data published by the Canola Council of Canada.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a letter to Carney on Wednesday that Canada must maintain its 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles as Ottawa looks to secure a new trade deal with the U.S. and protect Canada’s auto sector.

Ford did not mention the canola tariff in his letter to Carney.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum last week announced tariffs of up to 50 per cent on 1,400 products from China and other Asian nations, including automobiles.

— With files from David Baxter and Kyle Duggan

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press