Manitoba Pork op-ed – Cam Dahl

Tariffs and Trade – Now What? By Cam Dahl, General Manager, Manitoba Pork Council  “This too shall pass” is a Persian proverb used to encourage hope when times are difficult. Does this saying apply to the current U.S. President’s confrontational approach to allies and friends? Does it apply to the U.S. Administration’s isolationist trade policies and tariffs? It probably does apply in the long-term, but today, hope is in short supply for many Manitoba farmers.  Manitoba exports about $9.3 billion worth of agriculture and food products every year. This represents 13 percent of the province’s annual gross domestic product. Almost half, 46 percent in 2024, of these exports were shipped into the U.S.   On March 4th, President Trump carried through on his threats to put tariffs of 25 percent on almost all Canadian exports (outside of oil and gas). This means that half of our agriculture and food exports became 25 percent more expensive with no return to farmers or processors. The negati