U.S. talks collapse, trade war escalates

Fifty per cent U.S. tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods have now taken effect and Prime Minister Mark Carney is vowing dollar-for-dollar retaliation after trade talks collapsed late Friday night. CBC’s Peter Armstrong lays out what we know about the breakdown at the table. Then, two former federal cabinet ministers, Canada-U.S. advisory committee member Lisa Raitt and Carney’s former chief of staff Marco Mendicino, discuss what another trade war escalation could mean for Canada’s economy and the future of free trade. 

Plus, the Prairies are known as Canada's breadbasket. But could Canada boost its global agri-food exports to become the world's breadbasket? Guest host Leisha Grebinski travels to Coleville, Sask. to speak with lentil and grain farmer Dean Roberts about the technological, infrastructure and labour barriers he faces in getting more of his crops to global markets. 

Evan Shout — president and CEO of financial consulting firm Maverick Ag — explains how often he hears Roberts' concerns among other farmers he coaches and why Canada's agriculture industry needs a bigger seat at the federal decision-making table. 

Then, Evan Fraser, executive director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph and Jennifer Clapp, a professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, discuss whether boosting exports is the right goal for Canada, or if it should focus on food security at home.

This episode features the voices of:

• Lisa Raitt, former Conservative cabinet minister and member of the Advisory Committee on Canada–U.S. Economic Relations
• Marco Mendicino, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior counsel at Cassels
• Dean Roberts, owner of Oakdale Farms and chair of SaskOilseeds
• Evan Shout, president and CEO of Maverick Ag
• Evan Fraser, executive director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph
• Jennifer Clapp, professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo