The Manitoba Government put out a news release last Friday announcing more than $100 million in tariff supports, to help Manitoban industry and workers amid the ongoing trade war with the United States.
Some of the supports include $50 million for the Manitoba Trade Resilience Loan Program, $13.7 million to establish a Tariff Workforce Stabilization and Youth Employment Program designed to give wage subsidy supports to affected employers, and $500,000 to the Export Support Program.
Also announced were a long list of supports coming from the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation, including an increase in the Operating Credit Guarantee Program for individuals, corporations, and partnerships up to $3 million, increasing the guaranteed part of loans under both that program and the Diversification Loan Guarantee program to 33.33% from 25%, and expanding eligibility for the Diversification Guarantee Loan Program to include grain and oilseed operations.
Ron Kostyshyn, Manitoba's Agriculture Minister and Dauphin MLA, said he'll keep doing whatever he can to fight for Manitoba farmers and ag producers.
"We are trying to do as much as we can and work with our neighbours to the south, unfortunately there are unpredictable things coming from the south," said Kostyshyn.
One interesting observation Kostyshyn had was Manitoba's trade relationship with an unlikely partner: the Iowa Pork Council. Both parties openly and greatly support free trade, with Kostyshyn saying members of the Iowa Pork Council have told him Manitoba's pork is among the highest quality available on the market. The Iowa Pork Council regularly gets more than 2 million young pigs each year from Manitoba.
"It's not a matter of us taking advantage, of Manitoba taking advantage of the U.S. pork, it's a system where the Iowa Pork people believe that free trade should be happening, because it betters their business that they're in," said Kostyshyn.
In the news release, the Province also said they are continuing efforts and plans to strengthen inter-provincial trade. Manitoba was recently named one of the top provinces for working to reduce inter-provincial trade barriers, and will continue to do so.
