Province gives farmers additional $10M in tariff war

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This article was published 02/04/2025 (209 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hours before U.S. President Donald Trump announced wide-sweeping tariffs Wednesday, the Manitoba government said it will provide an additional $10.7 million to match federal funding to help farmers, producers and employees affected by them.

“Your jobs are going to be here today, your jobs will be here tomorrow and your jobs will continue to be here long after Donald Trump leaves office,” Premier Wab Kinew said at an announcement at Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon.

The $10.7 million for the AgriStability program is in addition to $140.8 million announced in the 2025 Manitoba budget for business risk management programs, including AgriInsurance, Wildlife Damage Compensation and AgriInvest.

The budget earmarks $100 million for agriculture as part of a $500 million contingency fund to respond to the effect of tariffs and a prolonged trade war.

“Hopefully, we don’t have to use those resources and put them out the door,” Kinew said. “If the situation continues to get more intense over the course of this year, we’re going to be there to stand up for your jobs.”

The province is working with farmers, producers and businesses to protect jobs, strengthen Manitoba’s economy and respond to tariffs from China and the United States, Kinew said.

He said the province and Keystone Agricultural Producers are working toward a number of shared goals to support Manitoba agriculture.

KAP general manager Colin Hornby and Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Pork, welcomed the announcement.

“We’re pleased to have the government’s commitment to working with us on advancing some of these issues,” Hornby said.

The association will meet with the province in the coming weeks to “iron out” what it’ll look like; whether it’ll be direct payments to farmers, for instance, Hornby said. “So figuring that out, making sure that something is sort of nimble, responsive and can support producers as needed.”

The $10 million follows up on a commitment the province had made to respond to the federal government’s decision to increase AgriStability payments, he said.

“For those who are enrolled in the AgriStability program, it’ll provide them with a bit of extra support that’s going to be needed if they have to make claims to that program,” he said.

In a statement, Dahl added: “We welcome the $250 million that the provincial government has committed specifically to supporting the agriculture sector and we join them in standing together with farmers across our province.”

— with files from Gabrielle Piché

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca