Canada’s Agricultural Equipment Manufacturers
set sights on global markets
Jim Carr Minister of International Trade Diversification
A BOUT THE MINIS TER Jim Carr has been a dedicated business and community leader in Winnipeg for more than 30 years. He was a musician and a journalist before entering public life in 1988. In 2015, he was elected as a Member of Parliament, and in the same year, was appointed as Minister of Natural Resources. In 2018, he became Minister of International Trade Diversification.
Growing up in rural Manitoba, I know firsthand the importance of having the right tools for the job: the essential equipment that farmers rely on to provide for their families, create jobs in their communities and feed the world.
export a record $64 billion worth of agricultural and food products last year—and we have our sights set on $75 billion by 2025. See Figure 1.
Every day, Canadian farmers go to work depending on quality equipment produced by members of the Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada (AMC). Our world-class agricultural equipment manufacturers span the country providing well-paying jobs for Canadians and keeping our rural economies strong.
We know there are challenges in exporting to foreign markets, in obtaining financing or when facing tariffs and import taxes. Obstacles like country-of-origin labelling and other non-tariff barriers can make exporting much more difficult, and so can border security issues, red tape and burdensome customs procedures.
As Canada’s Minister of International Trade Diversification, my job is to expand market access, reduce barriers and create a level playing field so that hard-working entrepreneurs have an opportunity to compete and succeed in the fast growing and dynamic global markets.
A past AMC chair noted last year at a House of Commons committee meeting that a large part of the costs faced by the agricultural equipment manufacturing industry is the registration of patents in each country. The different legal requirements can be expensive to follow.
The nearly 300 members of the AMC produce innovative, high-quality equipment sought by buyers from around the world. Almost 80% of your members are already exporting abroad and are looking to expand market share and enter into new markets.
Our government has listened to you on these important issues and has taken action by embarking on an ambitious trade diversification strategy that will create new opportunities so that manufacturers can continue to sell into established markets and find new ones. Our competitors don’t let up—and we won’t either.
“Our world-class agricultural equipment manufacturers span the country providing wellpaying jobs for Canadians and keeping our rural economies strong.”
That is why we have embarked on an ambitious plan to make trade deals such as the landmark Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which provides exporters with preferential access to 500 million consumers.
In 2017, Canadian farm machinery manufacturers exported more than $1.9 billion worth of equipment to 154 countries. As well, Canadian leadership in cutting-edge equipment and technologies helped Canadian farmers
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We congratulate the members of your organization for this impressive leadership and hard work.
Since then, we have negotiated the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which will provide access and new opportunities to 10 strategic markets, including Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. With CETA and the CPTPP in place, Canada will have preferential market access to nearly 1.5 billion consumers.
www.a-m-c.ca
