Agriculture
Canola or cars? Canada can’t save both
This article supplied by Troy Media.
By Doug Firby
Canada is risking its most successful export to prop up an EV pipe dream
Picture a Canadian industry that contributes $43 billion to the economy and employs about 200,000 people.
There aren’t many of those in this country. Any industry of that size should be considered indispensable.
And yet, while there is (understandable) national hand-wringing over the future of Canada’s auto industry—especially in light of U.S. President Donald
Trump’s renewed tariff rampage—another industry, arguably more economically important, is being dangerously overlooked.
That industry is canola.
A summer drive through Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Alberta makes the scale hard to miss. Yellow fields stretch to every horizon. Canola production has exploded over the past decade and has become the very lifeblood of the Prairies.
Without it, large parts of those provinces would be economically barren and far more sparsely populated. We’re not talking about niche agriculture here—we’re talking about a foundational industry that keeps the lights on across three provinces.
Canada is the world’s largest exporter of canola, a crop used to produce cooking oil, animal feed and biofuels. Its export-driven success makes it a cornerstone of the Prairie economy.
Now consider this: Canada’s auto manufacturing industry contributes about $19 billion annually to GDP and employs around 125,000 people directly in assembly and parts manufacturing. Include distribution and aftermarket services, and you get a bigger figure, but the core numbers still pale in comparison to canola.
So, here’s the uncomfortable question: If you had to sacrifice one, which would it be?
It’s a Hobson’s choice. Nobody wants to lose either. But Canada has been pushed into a position where something has to give.
The Trudeau government—and before that, the Biden administration—imposed 100 per cent tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles (EVs). The logic was straightforward: protect the billions being pumped into Canada’s auto sector and turn the country into a hub for EV innovation and production.
It was a defensive move: one meant to slow China’s dominance in the global EV market and give domestic manufacturers room to grow. Without it, cheap, wellbuilt Chinese EVs would undercut Canadian and North American models before they ever left the factory floor.
But China doesn’t take these things lightly. In retaliation, it slapped a 76 per cent tariff on Canadian canola. Prairie farmers, many of whom are already grappling with rising costs and unpredictable weather, are now wondering if their main market is disappearing overnight.
China has long been Canada’s largest canola customer, though the relationship has had flare-ups, including temporary bans in past years tied to diplomatic disputes.
More than two-thirds of Canada’s exported canola goes to China. The latest tariff hike has already wiped out an estimated $1 billion in value. And there’s no clear end in sight.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was blunt last week: Canada cannot afford to be in a trade war with both the United States and China. He suggested that, in the short term, Ottawa should direct EV tariff revenues to support canola producers. That may buy us some time. But the broader strategic question looms larger: With the U.S. under Trump becoming an increasingly unstable trade partner, and China punishing us for playing by American rules, where does Canada place its long-term bet?
It’s not an easy question to answer.
China is hardly an ideal partner. Its human rights record is abysmal, and its growing economic power often comes with strings attached. But we also can’t deny that it has already become the global manufacturing centre in many key sectors—including electric vehicles.
Then there’s the U.S. A longtime ally, yes, but under Trump, all bets are off. In January, he said of Canada, “We don’t need anything they have.” Not cars. Not oil. Not even niceties.
CUSMA—the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement that replaced NAFTA—governs most of Canada’s trade with our two largest partners. If Trump reopens the deal—and with Trump, it’s usually safest to take him literally—the Canadian auto industry may not survive. Billions in subsidies and protective tariffs won’t matter if the largest market slams its door shut.
So, again: what should we protect?
New markets for canola are being pursued—in Europe, Japan and elsewhere. But they won’t match China’s scale anytime soon. Diversifying export markets takes years. Prairie farmers don’t have that kind of time.
Meanwhile, dreams of building a Canadian-made EV remain just that: dreams. The auto sector may eventually pivot and survive, but right now, it’s the one on life support. Canola is the industry that’s vibrant—unless we let it get crushed in a trade crossfire.
I lived in an auto town for over two decades. I know the stakes. I’ve seen what happens when plants close, when supply chains dry up, and when livelihoods vanish.
But we need to be realistic.
Canola is a winning industry. It feeds the economy, supports thousands of families and helps keep our rural communities alive. It doesn’t need endless
subsidies or federal cheerleading—it just needs stable access to markets.
That might mean giving ground on EV tariffs. That might mean swallowing some pride on the international stage. But Canada cannot afford to sacrifice a thriving sector to save one already on the brink.
If we’re going to make hard choices—and we will—let’s make the one that protects what still works.
Canada cannot lose canola.
Doug Firby is an award-winning editorial writer with over four decades of experience working for newspapers, magazines and online publications in Ontario and western Canada. Previously, he served as Editorial Page Editor at the Calgary Herald.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country
Looks like we made it. For another weekend at least. Until sanity settles down into the head into the head of the federal government that remains fixated on the killing of 399 healthy ostriches. As the clock wound down today, an announcement from the farm proclaimed, “We made it today,” calling it another “miracle Friday.”
WATCH TODAY’S Miracle Friday Announcement
Earlier in the day, Rebel News’ Drea Humphrey reported, “There’s apparently a SWAT team up the road, I hope that doesn’t mean they’ve gotten bad news,” wondering “if the police were preparing to aid the CFIA in the cull.”
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Dacey Media reported that the farm said that “Ostrich Hunters” were also spotted at Universal Ostrich Farms according to Katie Pasitney The “kill pen” is fully set up and CFIA have been luring ostriches into it.
But as of 5:30 ET, it seems the farm and the ostriches may have escaped to live another day as the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) did not hand down a decision to grant a further leave to the farm to prepare its case, or dismiss the case, allowing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to proceed with their “cull” to kill 399 healthy ostriches.
The palpable, raw government over-reach that includes over 100 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that have occupied the farm highlights the mismanagement of the CFIA and may be one of the reasons that the SCC has hesitated in making a decision before the weekend.
Call to Dismantle the CFIA
On today’s Stand on Guard interview Katie Pastiney, spokeswoman for the Universal Ostrich Farms in British Columbia called for the dismantlement of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. She says that the CFIA:
“Needs to be dismantled and we need to rebuild this organization back up from the ground up and we need to have a new vision.
“We need to have a new mission and a brand-new face for Canadians that will give us hope that we will be protected not attacked.”
“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to overuse their authority, overuse their excessive freedom that they’ve been given, and they have zero accountability for their actions.”
The farm has been embroiled in a dispute with the federal government and its CFIA agency for close to a year. The agency claims the flock of ostriches has the avian flu, but it refuses to test the farmers’ birds, even though they have been healthy for 258 days. At the same time the CFIA will not let the farmers pay for the tests themselves, saying they will charge them $250,000 per ostrich and put them in jail for 6 months.
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The federal agency and the RCMP have seized and occupied the farm since September 22, 2025. they have conducted a campaign of harassment of the farm family and their flock of ostriches that included: arresting the farmers when they were told to go feed their birds; using lights and heavy equipment at night’; sending drones to chase the birds that resulted in pushing one bird over the fence so it hurt its leg, not treating the animals properly; and not feeding the ostriches full rations of food and water and not treating the birds the CFIA injured. These activities have continued as the CFIA continues to construct a “kill box” of hay bales that have been on fire four times while under the CFIA’s supervision and occupation.
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Running Out of Time
In a stunning report on X October 2nd, however, before the Supreme Court of Canada had made decision, the CFIA has daily continued to move forward to kill the ostriches ignoring the SCC legal “stay.”
Karen Esperson, Pasitney’s mother yesterday reported on X:
“We need to put CFIA in check.
“This organization feels they are greater than the Supreme Court of Canada. they are still positioning the birds and putting them in the position to be killed immediately. They are assuming they know the outcome of the Supreme Court oof Canada. Do they think they are better than the Supreme court? That they are going to for sure win?
“The Supreme Court has not decided.
“What is happening?
“We are on a stay order and yet I just got a call that they have a whole bunch of birds herded in a little circle in the kill pen.
“Waiting. This is animal cruelty.”
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Efforts to Save the Ostriches
More and more Members of Parliament have been speaking up on behalf of the farmers including the local provincial representative, the local Member of Parliament Scott Anderson, who visited the farm trying to talk to the CFIA and also the Official Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre spek out yesterday.
A second press conference hosted by John Catsimatidis, a New York radio host, billionaire and friend of Donald Trump and Dr. Oz, was also held yesterday. The USA Trump administration representatives including Robert F. Kennedy say they want to either pay for the ostrich testing or help re-locate them to the United States for further research opportunities. This outreach has been ignored.
CFIA Has Staff Enough to Kill but NOT Enough Staff to Test?
In my interview today with Pastiney she explained how the CFIA did originally give their ostrich farm an exemption that was later rescinded because the CFIA told them they were “understaffed and we’re not able to perform these tests.”
“There was an exemption package that was given to us on January 2nd. We have an email from Canadian Food Inspection Agency stating that we qualify for special rare genetics within our herd and that we could be exempt.
“Now when we followed through with that because we needed to test them just to show their DNA and their genetics and show their lineage that between January 2nd and January 10th something happened.
“Now we didn’t qualify we lost that right.
“And on January 10th they said sorry you don’t qualify for special rare genetics because we are understaffed and we’re not able to perform these tests.”
Why does the CFIA have staff to occupy the farm for weeks and to kill 399 ostriches as well as requisition the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) over 40 cars and reportedly more than 100 police on the farm since September 22nd, and not have the money to test the birds for the exemption?
How much has this debacle and exercise into Carney Government overreach been charged to Canadian taxpayers?
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More than the tests to see if the ostriches are healthy or if they qualify for the exemption?
Other Farmers May Join in Efforts to Disband the CFIA
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Pastiney says:
“I just did an interview with a farmer that this very same thing happened to them and it was based off a suspicion of tuberculosis outbreak on their farm.
“They [the farmers] had over 600 head of cattle, they had sheep, they had goats, they had pig or pigs, they had chickens.
“They [the CFIA] came in based off suspicion and off their own negligence they killed everything this beautiful older farm had to find out in the end that they tested after everything was dead and there was no tuberculosis.”
“I asked her a very important question, and I said could you trust this organization again? And she said, absolutely not.
“So, it became very clear to me after this about talking to two or three farmers that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency needs to be dismantled.”
“It is an organization that has lost the trust of Canadians.
CONCLUSION
WATCH Katie is Fighting For Everyone’s Freedom | Stand on Guard
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This article supplied by Troy Media.
Canada’s agri-food sector powers $90 billion in exports and one in nine jobs, yet it’s missing from the fed’s flagship infrastructure agenda
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “nation-building” strategy may boast big wins for energy and infrastructure, but it sidelines one of Canada’s greatest economic assets: food.
His first five flagship projects—the LNG terminal in Kitimat, a small modular nuclear reactor in Darlington, the $1-billion Contrecoeur container terminal east of Montreal and mineral developments in B.C. and Saskatchewan—send a message that Ottawa is ready to build. But for all their ambition, they overlook the sector that feeds the country, powers $90 billion in exports and supports one in nine jobs.
Canada is one of the world’s great breadbaskets—reliable, safe and absurdly productive. The agrifood sector isn’t just farms and tractors; it’s one of the most advanced, innovative ecosystems we’ve got. And yet, among Carney’s first round of “nation-building” moonshots, food didn’t even get a seat at the table.
Sure, the expanded port in Montreal will help grain and processed food shipments. And yes, stable nuclear power might one day shave energy bills for processors and greenhouse growers. But these are trickle-down perks—not the kind of direct investment the sector actually needs. Food deserves its own spotlight.
This oversight isn’t just symbolic—it exposes real pressure points that threaten the entire system. Take Western Canada’s beef-packing bottleneck, for example: a few mega-facilities dominate the sector, so when one gets gummed up by a strike or shutdown, it sends shockwaves through the entire supply chain. Farmers are left holding the bag—and consumers feel the hit. Expanding and decentralizing capacity would help, but that’s just scratching the surface.
If Carney wants to prove Canada can be a food power as much as an energy one, we need projects with the same heft and urgency as those just announced. To match the ambition of Carney’s energy and infrastructure plans, here are five food-sector nation-builders that would move the dial:
1. The Prairie Gateway Grain and Pulse Terminal—a rail-linked export hub in Saskatchewan or Manitoba—would get lentils, peas, canola and wheat to global
markets fast. Think Contrecoeur, but for the Prairies.
2. Protein Supercluster 2.0 would string together state-of-the-art processing facilities to transform raw commodities into premium plant proteins, canola oil and biofuels. A second-generation government-backed innovation corridor, it would help Canada move from raw exports to value-added, export-ready, job-creating production.
3. A National Plant and Animal Science Campus, inspired by Wageningen University in the Netherlands—a world leader in agricultural research—would centralize the kind of next-gen crop science, livestock genomics and climate-resilient breeding Canada will need to compete in the decades ahead. Call it moonshot science; we’ve been staring at the ground too long.
4. Northern Food Sovereignty Corridors, featuring investments in greenhouses, vertical farms and logistics, would reduce reliance on overpriced imports and bring fresh food, and economic independence, to northern and Indigenous communities. It would also move reconciliation from speech to action.
5. A Digital Food Traceability Network would use blockchain and AI to track food from seed to supper, slashing waste, boosting consumer confidence and giving our exports a transparency edge in an increasingly picky global market.
Carney’s five projects are a solid start. They prove Canada can think big. But a real strategy needs to feed people as well as power them. Agriculture can’t remain the forgotten cousin in economic planning.
The point isn’t to downplay the importance of energy or mining. Mines and reactors may fuel prosperity but it’s food—and the infrastructure, science and innovation behind it—that will secure it. Canada’s real strength lies not just under the ground but in the fields, labs and refrigerated supply chains that keep our plates full and our trading partners coming back for seconds.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher in food distribution and policy. He is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast. He is frequently cited in the media for his insights on food prices, agricultural trends, and the global food supply chain.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.
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