Tory MPs get feedback before CUSMA talks

Conservative MPs said they will advocate to the federal government on the local interests of business leaders in Brandon-Souris ahead of talks on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade.

A trio of MPs hosted a roundtable with business leaders in Brandon on Thursday to hear their concerns, in order to better advocate toward the tri-nation trade pact.

“It’s a good chance for us to get up and listen, and just learn on what stakeholders want to hear from us, or want to see us do as we go back to Ottawa in the fall,” said Randy Hoback, the vice-chair of Parliament’s Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group.

“Any information we can gather to make the negotiations go faster and easier that would be a positive result for them is our goal at the end of the day.”

Hoback, the MP for Prince Albert in Saskatchewan, hosted the discussion with Brandon-Souris MP Grant Jackson and Ontario MP Dave Epp, who is on a parliamentary committee for agriculture. About 15 business leaders showed up, a large portion from the agriculture sector. Representatives for other industries, including automotive, retail and steel were also present.

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is a free-trade agreement between the three nations.

Hoback said the main concern he has heard in Brandon and during the first leg of his tour is “bankability.” Businesses want a predictable marketplace, whether it be a small business in Westman or people involved with pension fund work in Toronto, he said.

“They want to know what the future looks like, and who they’re going to be selling to, and they don’t like that risk that they can’t manage,” he said in a sit-down interview with the Sun after the meeting.

While Canadians can’t control what U.S. President Donald Trump does, Hoback said, the government can make life easier here. Trade diversification with other markets and increasing inter-provincial trade are other points Hoback pointed to.

He wants to see the governing Liberals take the lead on getting results on the inter-provincial trade side.

He said this issue is non-partisan, and he largely isn’t trying to be critical of the Liberals during the local meetings.

The discussions included asking about what is and isn’t working here.

Hoback is touring cities across the country over the summer to get perspectives around the nation. He said he will then report to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on the commonalities and issues that have come up and with a committee with some high-profile party critics.

“We’ll share that information with the appropriate people that will make Canada stronger in their negotiation position with the U.S., to make sure that everybody understands what is at stake at this point in time,” Hoback said.

Jackson said he has heard from people about concerns of trade with South American nations and China. The trade with China and South America would not be covered in the CUSMA deal.

Business owners are also often not taking the risks they might have made without the uncertainty from south of the border. In turn, businesses aren’t growing and there are fewer opportunities for young people, which is a concern, he said.

Colin Hornby, the general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said he would like the current version of the CUSMA deal to be renewed as is. Smaller pinch points, he said, can be dealt with during side discussions.

“What exists presently isn’t perfect necessarily, but it works, and it has been the source of lots of prosperity on both sides of the border,” Hornby said.

The region represents a “significant” number of exports coming out of Canada, he said, and the ag sector is vital.

“We have a lot to offer in terms of perspectives on where there’s pinch points, what we see as the benefits and perhaps challenges that exist in the current trade structure,” he said.

Speaking with local voices instead of just national organizations is also important to get a different perspective, he said.

Canada’s agriculture and steel industries are some of the local industries most impacted regarding the negotiations said Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Emelio Brown.

He said it’s important that the government come out and speak with local representatives, and Thursday’s talk was beneficial.

“It’s very important to have diverse feedback in these discussions, because everyone assumes that CUSMA affects everyone who trades down south, but obviously it will impact folks who are secondary or tertiary in those trade relationships as well,” Brown said after the discussion ended.

Despite the roundtable being put on by an opposition party, Brown said there’s a lot of value in the talks, as the MPs will discuss their findings in question period and with senior members.

“Whether it is government in power or the opposition, if the concerns from Westman are making their way to Ottawa, and being talked about there, we’re happy about that.”

» alambert@brandonsun.com