Politics
China’s tariffs on Canada are in place. What are they targeting? TenX News
Canadian agricultural producers are warning of devastating impacts from new Chinese tariffs that began Thursday, which they say will compound the economic strain from the U.S. trade war.
China has imposed a 100 per cent levy on Canadian canola oil and meal, as well as peas, plus a 25 per cent duty on seafood and pork.
Those are on top of existing 25 per cent tariffs on a majority of exports to the U.S., which is set to bring in further “reciprocal” tariffs on April 2 that match those put on American goods.
“If you’re a processor, you’re going to feel the pressure of this in a much more meaningful way going forward,” said Erik Johnson, a senior economist and vice-president at Bank of Montreal Capital Markets.
For Tara Sawyer, an Alberta grain farmer and chair of Grain Growers of Canada whose crops include canola, the Chinese tariffs compound the tough time she and other farmers have faced over the past two to three years, with below-normal revenues due to drought and rising operating costs.
The tariffs also come just weeks before seeding begins for this season’s crops.
“This makes what’s already been challenging quite devastating, really,” she told Global News.
Why did China impose these tariffs?
The tariffs are in retaliation against Canada’s 100 per cent levies on Chinese-made electric vehicles and a 25 per cent tax on aluminum and steel products, which were announced last year.
The federal government has accused China of unfairly subsidizing its EV industry in order to get cheap vehicles into North America, threatening Canada’s auto industry.
The EV tariffs matched similar levies imposed by the U.S. for the same reason.
China launched “anti-dumping” investigations into Canadian canola imports in September 2024 in response, and announced the new tariffs on March 8 as a result.
“It’s a punitive number made up by the Chinese regime,” Daniel Trefler, an economist and professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, said about the 100 per cent tariff on canola products.
“Canada is trying to protect itself from what would be the total collapse of our auto sector if we allow China to massively subsidize their autos…. [Canada’s EV tariffs on China] were arrived at after careful consideration and reflects the reality in China.”
The growing trade war has upended recent efforts to improve relations between Ottawa and Beijing from the low point of 2019 and 2020, when Canada detained Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. China targeted canola exports in retaliation at that time too, as well as Canadian nationals in China.
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Relations are even more tense after it was revealed Wednesday that China has executed four Canadians for “drug-related crimes” this year.
What could the impact be?
China is Canada’s top export market for canola seeds, oil and meal. The Canola Council of Canada says economic activity with China was almost $5 billion last year, including nearly $1 billion in canola meal.
Sawyer, who manages a 4,000-acre grain farm in Acme, Alta., says the new tariffs effectively shut the door on that market due to the steep rate.
“Where are we going to be selling that canola, or can we?” she said. “It’s really stressful, and it’s changing all the time. There’s so much uncertainty.”
Johnson notes that canola seeds, which make up a majority of Canada’s canola trade, aren’t included in Thursday’s tariffs, although Beijing has said it is continuing to investigate alleged dumping of those exports.
When China’s anti-dumping probes were first announced, credit agency Morningstar DBRS said resulting tariffs could lead to a “billion-dollar hit” for the country and its supply chain.
The Canola Council of Canada estimates the industry lost between $1.54 billion and $2.35 billion between March 2019 and August 2020 from lost sales and lower prices due to China’s previous tariffs.
Canola prices could fall further in Canada as producers look to sell off product that was previously meant for Chinese export, Sawyer and economists say.
The Fisheries Council of Canada, meanwhile, said in a statement this month that a 25 per cent Chinese tariff on seafood products is an “existential threat” to the industry. It said the combination of tariffs from China and the U.S. will “effectively cut off” 83 per cent of Canada’s seafood export markets worldwide.
According to the federal government, China is Canada’s second-largest fish and seafood export market after the U.S., with $1.3 billion in products shipped there last year. Some export markets, like geoduck clams out of British Columbia and elvers in the Maritimes, rely almost exclusively on Chinese buyers.
As for pork, China is the third-largest export market behind the U.S. and Japan, with over $43 million in products exported over the past year.
“These Chinese tariffs could not have come at a worse time,” Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said in a statement this month.
Trefler said while China’s tariffs may not impact inflation, they will have “huge” effects on employment and output, with farms potentially forced to lay off workers or close altogether.
“It’s devastating not only for the individual farmers but for the communities that surround those farmers,” he said.
Johnson said China’s actions, while destabilizing to specific industries, still pose less uncertainty than the ever-evolving trade policies out of the Trump administration in the U.S., which continue to be the driving factor for recession fears.
“There’s already been some emphasis on [diversifying trade away from China] for years,” he said. “The challenge is, some of that reshuffling has been toward a partner [the U.S.] that we’re now less certain of.”
How are governments responding?
The federal government and provinces where affected sectors are concentrated are being asked to support producers whose bottom lines will be hit.
Agriculture Minister Kody Blois said Wednesday that he has spoken with his counterparts in Alberta and Saskatchewan about using “all the tools in our toolbox, including our Business Risk Management programs, to support our canola, pea and pork farmers.”
“We’re focused on making sure there are supports, to make sure that there are mechanisms in place to support those impacted producers,” he told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Ottawa. He said more details will be shared in the coming days.
“This is significant.”
Alberta’s government set aside $4 billion this year to manage its response to tariffs, up $2 billion from the year before.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters Wednesday there was a potential for a “made in Canada solution” to ensure canola crops can get to market.
“I don’t have a solution for pork yet,” Smith said. “I have doubled my bacon intake as a measure of support.”
Manitoba’s budget, announced Thursday, included broad plans for hundreds of millions of dollars for supports for businesses, agricultural producers and individuals, and also introduced new tax measures to help spur investment.
Saskatchewan, with a slim $12-million surplus in its budget tabled Wednesday, did not set aside money to help manage the potential impact of tariffs.
Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Kent Smith told reporters Wednesday that the government can provide assistance to seafood producers from its $200-million contingency fund established to deal with the impact of tariffs if necessary.
But he also downplayed the potential short-term impact of China’s new levies, saying he heard “cautious optimism” from producers at a three-day seafood expo he attended with Premier Tim Houston this week.
Industry groups say government will eventually have to step in with new supports to address China’s tariffs specifically, saying the relief launched in response to U.S. tariffs won’t be sufficient.
Sawyer said she’s particularly concerned about farmers’ mental health as they deal with additional stress.
“Everybody is struggling with what to do,” she said.
— with files from The Canadian Press
Politics
UK refuses to invite Israeli government officials to London arms fair over the war in Gaza – National TenX News
The U.K. has barred Israeli government officials from attending the country’s biggest arms fair over growing concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The decision does not cover representatives of Israeli defense contractors, who will be allowed to attend the DSEI UK exhibition, scheduled for Sept. 9-12 in London. The event was formerly known as Defense and Security Equipment International.
“The Israeli Government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” the British government said in a statement. “As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.”
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The decision comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to end the crisis in Gaza, agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas and commits to a long-term peace agreement. Britain previously barred sales to Israel of any arms that could be used in the nearly 23-month war in Gaza.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said the decision was based on politics and “serves extremists.”
“These restrictions amount to a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination against Israel’s representatives,” the ministry said.
The Israeli ministry said it would withdraw from the exhibition and will not establish a national pavilion.
Pro-Palestinian and anti-war groups have announced plans to for protests during DSEI, which will take place at the Excel center in east London.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Politics
Israel soon will halt or slow aid to northern Gaza as military offensive grows – National TenX News
Israel will soon halt or slow humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its military offensive against Hamas, an official said Saturday, a day after Gaza City was declared a combat zone.
The decision was likely to bring more condemnation of Israel’s government as frustration grows in the country and abroad over dire conditions for both Palestinians and remaining hostages in Gaza after nearly 23 months of war.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the number of aid trucks arriving in the north as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people south.
Israel on Friday ended recently imposed daytime pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, describing Gaza City as a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a tunnel network remains in use, despite previous large-scale raids. The United Nations and partners have said the pauses, airdrops and other measures fell far short of the 600 trucks of aid needed daily in Gaza.
A ‘massive population movement’ coming
AP video footage showed several large explosions across Gaza overnight. Israel’s military Saturday evening said it had struck a key Hamas member in the area of Gaza City, with no details.
In recent days, Israel’s military has increased strikes on the outskirts of Gaza City, where famine was recently documented and declared by global food security experts.
By Saturday there had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from almost daily ones. Israel’s army didn’t respond to a request for comment or say how it would provide aid to Palestinians during another major shift in Gaza’s population of over 2 million people.
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“Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care,” Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said in a statement.
It’s impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City can be done in a safe and dignified way, she said.
Hundreds of residents have begun leaving Gaza City, piling their remaining possessions onto pickup trucks or donkey carts. Many have been forced to leave their homes more than once.
Killed while seeking food
Israeli gunfire killed four people trying to get aid in central Gaza, according to health officials at Al-Awda Hospital, were the bodies were taken.
An Israeli strike on a bakery in Gaza City’s Nasr neighborhood killed 12 people including six women and three children, the Shifa Hospital director told the AP, and a strike on the Rimal neighborhood killed seven.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said another 10 people died as a result of starvation and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, including three children. It said at least 332 Palestinians have died from malnutrition-related causes during the war, including 124 children.
At least 63,371 Palestinians have died in Gaza during the war, said the ministry, which does not say how many are fighters or civilians but says around half have been women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
“There is no food and even water is not available. When it is available, it is not safe to drink,” said Amer Zayed, as he waited for food from a charity kitchen in Deir al-Balah on Friday.
“The suffering gets worse when there are more displaced people,” he added.
Israelis rally again to demand a ceasefire deal
Israelis waited to hear the identity of the remains of a hostage that Israel on Friday said had been recovered in Gaza. It also said it recovered the remains of hostage Ilan Weiss.
Forty-eight hostages now remain in Gaza of the over 250 seized in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war. Israel had believed 20 are still alive.
Their loved ones fear the expanding military offensive will put them in even more danger, and they were rallying again Saturday to demand a ceasefire deal to bring everyone home.
“Netanyahu, if another living hostage comes back in a bag, it will not only be the hostages and their families who pay the price. You will bear responsibility for premeditated murder,” Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder, said in Tel Aviv.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
The Trump administration said Friday it was denying and revoking U.S. visas from members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
That comes ahead of next month’s United Nations General Assembly, where Canada and several other countries have said they intend to officially recognize a Palestinian state.
The U.S. State Department cited the groups’ efforts to secure statehood recognition at the UN, along with their appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice to investigate alleged Israeli crimes in Gaza, as reasons for the decision by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” the department said in a statement.
“The Trump Administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”
The statement did not name the officials being denied entry. It was not immediately clear if the list included Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was expected to travel to New York for the UN gathering.
The Palestinians’ ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters at the UN headquarters that they were checking exactly what the U.S. move means “and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly.”
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Representatives assigned to the Palestinian Authority mission at the UN, led by Mansour, will be granted waivers so they can continue their New York-based operations, the U.S. statement said.
Mansour said Abbas still intends to lead the delegation to the high-level meetings and is expected to address the General Assembly — as he has done for many years — and to attend a meeting on the afternoon of Sept. 22 on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to New York and address the general assembly on Sept. 23, the White House said on Thursday.
Canada, Britain, Australia and France in recent weeks have announced or signalled their intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the meeting.
The countries have said their recognition is conditional on the Palestinian Authority — which has limited self-rule over parts of the occupied West Bank and has for years been positioning itself as a legitimate government alternative to Hamas in Gaza — undergoing reforms and new elections.
Abbas has signalled he will co-operate with the Western nations’ demands.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization is an internationally recognized coalition that represents Palestinian people in its occupied territories and abroad.
The Trump administration has staunchly backed Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. The U.S. has also refused to condemn expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Canada and other allies have said undermine two-state solution efforts.
Rubio hosted Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Washington on Wednesday “to reaffirm our two nations’ close cooperation,” the U.S. secretary said in a post on X.
Saar, asked after the meeting what the plan was for a Palestinian state, said there would not be any.
The Israeli minister on Friday thanked Rubio for holding the PA and PLO “accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel” in a social media statement.
Officials with the Palestinian Authority reject that they’ve undermined peace prospects.
Under the 1947 UN “headquarters agreement,” the U.S. is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. But Washington has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism and foreign policy reasons.
Hamas earlier this month said it had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal on a ceasefire in Gaza that would see the release of some hostages in exchange for talks with Israel that would end the conflict and see the return of all remaining hostages.
But Israel has said it will only accept the full return of all the hostages and has pressed ahead with a plan to occupy Gaza City, which international monitors like the UN have warned could worsen a famine already afflicting the Palestinian territory.
Rubio last week announced sanctions against multiple International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors involved in the court’s investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza and the issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
—With files from Reuters
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
UK refuses to invite Israeli government officials to London arms fair over the war in Gaza – National TenX News
Israel soon will halt or slow aid to northern Gaza as military offensive grows – National TenX News
U.S. scraps Palestinian officials’ visas ahead of UN General Assembly – National TenX News
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