Refugee children with mental health issues can benefit from innovative telephone therapy, new research suggests

University of Surrey

Refugee children with mental health issues can benefit from innovative telephone therapy, new research suggests  

Telephone therapy delivered to refugee children results in a significant drop in mental health symptoms and a far higher completion rate of treatment compared with in-person therapy, according to a first-of-its-kind led by the University of Surrey.  

In a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 20 refugee children in the Beqa'a region of Lebanon, 10 received in-person treatment as usual (TaU)  and 10 received telephone therapy delivered by local trained lay counsellors, both provided by Médecins du Monde. At the beginning of each treatment session, children's symptoms were assessed with a questionnaire. 

The findings show that there was a strong and consistent decline in mental health symptoms in the group receiving telephone therapy over the course of treatment. Importantly, 60% of this group completed a full course of treatment, with 90% overall receiving some treatment, compared to no children completing treatment in the TaU group and only 60% receiving some treatment. 

Professor Michael Pluess, co-lead of the study and professor of developmental psychology at the University of Surrey, says:  

"The number of forcibly displaced persons due to war and emergencies is rising and refugee children are often left with severe trauma. We need innovative solutions to provide much-needed therapy in humanitarian settings and make treatment as widely accessible as possible. Our findings suggest that telephone-delivered therapy could be an effective form of treatment." 

In Lebanon, which has hosted large numbers of Syrian refugees since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, there is very limited mental health care provision. However, most refugee families own mobile phones, which provide a more accessible means to deliver treatment. The research team sought to establish whether an adapted telephone therapy programme could be effective in reducing mental health symptoms in refugee children compared with in-person treatment. 

The study recruited children aged 8–17 years old from Syrian refugee families living in tented settlements in the Beqa'a region of Lebanon, with consent taken from the parent or primary caregiver and the child. All children met diagnostic criteria for common mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.  

The team used the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), a proven cognitive behavioural therapy programme, and adapted it for phone delivery (t-CETA) with the help of locally trained lay counsellors. In phase one, the original CETA manual was modified for t-CETA, tested and refined with 23 children, with 13 receiving face-to-face CETA and 10 receiving t-CETA. Phase two then piloted this adapted approach in the RCT with a different group of 20 children. 

In addition to the key findings, the delivery of t-CETA improved access to treatment, as families did not have to travel to clinics or fit the treatment around working hours. It also demonstrated that local lay counsellors can be successfully trained to deliver t-CETA under the supervision of experienced clinicians. 

The team experienced some challenges when recruiting participants to the study, including families being unable to attend the in-person appointments, perceived stigma of accessing mental health services, and a lack of understanding around what treatment involves. As a result, the sample size was smaller than anticipated; however, the success of the study indicates that t-CETA is a promising, and scalable, treatment option. 

Professor Michael Pluess says:  

"Our study highlights the importance of making mental health services more accessible and culturally relevant in countries where there are barriers to receiving therapy. Despite evidence of mental health problems among refugee children and their families, most individuals do not seek treatment. The results of our trial are an important first step in finding a solution, with a larger trial needed to confirm the positive effects." 

 

The study has been published in the journal Conflict and Health. 

 

[ENDS] 

• Michael Pluess is available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange this. 

---

Journal

Conflict and Health

DOI

10.1186/s13031-024-00616-2 

Article Title

Delivering therapy over telephone in a humanitarian setting: a pilot randomized controlled trial of common elements treatment approach (CETA) with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon

CETA

France faces high-risk vote on EU-Canada free trade deal

Paris (AFP) – The French government on Thursday faces a risky vote on a controversial trade deal between the EU and Canada in the Senate where an unlikely alliance between left and right hopes to torpedo the pact.

Issued on: 19/03/2024 

Some senators want to inflict a defeat on the government over the trade deal

 © Thomas COEX / AFP

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been in force provisionally since 2017, but requires ratification in all European Union member countries to take full effect.

President Emmanuel Macron and his centrist parliamentary allies managed to get the deal approved in the National Assembly in 2019 by a slim margin, but backing by the upper house -- where they are in a clear minority -- is needed for ratification.

The French Communist party placed the treaty on Thursday's Senate agenda, with the stated aim of getting it defeated.

Accusing the government of treating parliament "like a doormat", Communist senator Fabien Gay announced "a political thunderclap" for Thursday.

In a rare temporary alliance, the leadership of the conservative Les Republicains (LR) party, which has a majority in the Senate, has also signalled its opposition to the trade pact.

"We need free-trade agreements, but not at the expense of our sovereignty, especially for food," said Bruno Retailleau, LR's leader in the Senate.

Like all EU trade deals, CETA was negotiated by the EU Commission, but also needs approval from each EU member.

Seventeen of them have ratified the deal, with the process in 10 countries -- including France -- still ongoing. Britain ratified the deal when it was still in the EU.

Cyprus's parliament is the only one to have rejected the agreement outright, over a controversy about a geographical indication for halloumi cheese.

But under EU rules, such a vote only impacts CETA's application if a government officially notifies the EU of the rejection, which Cyprus has not done. Instead, it plans to re-submit the proposal later.

If CETA is rejected in the French Senate, Macron would be expected to do the same.
'A warning shot'

The government has, meanwhile, accused the opposition of weaponising CETA ahead of June European elections seen as a key test of Macron's popularity.

"Let's not be naive," quipped Macron's minister for foreign trade, Franck Riester, saying the trade deal was being "instrumentalised in the middle of the European election campaign".

While the French government defends CETA, there is also plenty of opposition, notably around food safety, with critics pointing to Canada's laxer approach to genetically-modified organisms, hormones, pesticides and herbicides, and lower standards on animal welfare compared to the EU.

CETA has sparked protests across the EU, including in Germany 

© John MACDOUGALL / AFP

There have been angry demonstrations in several EU countries against the deal, including by climate activists.

Criticism has also come from farmers and industrial sectors, notably over access to the Canadian market, and regulations.

"Farming in central Canada is completely industrial and operates without any rules," said LR senator and professional farmer Laurent Duplomb, saying he hoped to "fire a warning shot" in the direction of the EU.

Meanwhile, senators have reported receiving an unusual amount of attention from companies, associations, the government and the Canadian embassy all hoping to sway them.

"I have never seen this much lobbying before a Senate vote," said one member of the upper house who declined to be identified.

Although a no-vote would not in itself kill CETA, the French government worries about the impact of any rejection.

"We have to be careful not to send a negative signal concerning an agreement that produces benefits," said a government source, on condition of anonymity.

The trade deal's backers say French exports to Canada increased by 33 percent between 2017 and 2023, while imports rose 35 percent, thanks to the agreement.

Wine and dairy producers are among the main beneficiaries, the government says.

© 2024 AFP

UK facing Brexit realities after failed Canada talks


By AFP
January 26, 2024
Véronique DUPONT


The UK’s failed free trade talks with Canada show that it is struggling to deliver on its promises to thrive after Brexit, experts said on Friday.

London has been seeking to sign new trade pacts around the world to show it was right to sever ties with its nearest neighbours nearly four years ago.

But negotiators paused talks with Ottawa late Thursday, with sources pinpointing British cheese imports to Canada and Canadian beef exports to the UK as major sticking points to agreement.

“We will only negotiate deals that deliver for the British people, and we reserve the right to pause negotiations where progress is not being made,” said a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“We’re open to restarting talks with Canada in the future.”

The main opposition Labour party, which is widely expected to win this year’s general election, called it “another significant failure from the Conservatives to honour their promises”.

Keith Pilbeam, economics professor at City, University of London, said the pro-Brexit government had overplayed its cards.

“It undermines the UK and shows that the Brexiteers considerably overstated how easy trade deals would be to do alone in the world with our much smaller economy compared to that of the EU,” he told AFP.

“The UK did well rolling over existing EU deals but is finding it very hard to negotiate its own trade deals as the concessions that other countries like Canada and the US want from us are not acceptable to UK citizens, businesses and farmers.”

– Unrealistic –

King’s College London economist Jonathan Portes talked down the direct impact on UK trade, given that Canada is not one of the UK’s biggest trading partners.

But he added: “More broadly it shows the limitations of the government’s trade strategy… to use post-Brexit trade deals to offset the negative impacts of Brexit on trade.

“That was never realistic.”

Brexiteers have repeatedly talked up the benefits of leaving the EU since Britons voted narrowly in favour of quitting the bloc in 2016.

They promised “sunlit uplands” of economic prosperity, while Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, said Brexit would free the UK to project itself on the world stage.

Opponents, though, claim that alongside restrictions to freedom of movement and increased red tape, departure has helped fuel rampant inflation and worsen a cost-of-living crisis.

Some trade deals have been signed, including with faster-growing economies such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

The UK also joined 11 Asia-Pacific countries who are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

A much sought-after free trade deal with the United States remains elusive.

With Canada, an interim deal with the UK preserved many of the same conditions as under the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU.

But its provisions for British cheese imports to Canada expired last month, leaving some UK exporters facing customs duties of 245 percent, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.

“Some exporters will not find it competitive to export to Canada anymore… They are in a worst position than they were before Brexit,” BCC head of trade policy William Bain told AFP.

– Protectionism –

Added to the picture, the rules of origin — which stipulate how much of the value of UK car exports must be produced in Britain — are due to expire in March.

That could slap customs duties of 10 percent on car exports heading to Canada, the BCC says.

The failure of talks between two G7 and Commonwealth allies which share a king showed the “rise in protectionism across the world”, with exporters suffering the consequences, said Bain.

The president of Britain’s National Farmers Union (NFU), Minette Batters, called it “the right decision”, however.

“On products such as beef and cheese, Canada was demanding too much and offering too little,” she said.

“We understand that Canada made repeated attempts to force the UK to change its food safety rules and to extract unreasonable concessions for maintaining our preferential access to its cheese market beyond the end of 2023.”

David Henig, trade expert at London-based think-tank the European Centre for International Political Economy, said Britain was looking to preserve its food and veterinary standards after criticism of its previous deal with Australia.

UK farmers contend they face competition from cheaper Australian exports like beef and lamb due to industrial farming methods and relaxed food safety requirements.

“This pause shows that the realities of trade negotiations are catching up with the UK, that protecting food standards can lead to problems in talks, and that choices have to be made,” he said,

“The UK has chosen — after a backlash from farmers to the Australia deal — to not repeat this experience.”

Germany's organic farmers are in despair

Oliver Pieper

DW
1/19/2023

Germany is restructuring its agriculture to make one-third of all farms organic by 2030. But as inflation rises, farmers are demanding more government support. They are set to flock to Berlin to make their voices heard.

Bernd Schmitz owns a small organic farmer in western Germany. He is upset at the government's new regulations for making agriculture more sustainable, which come at a time of rising inflation.

So Schmitz will hit the road this weekend to protest with thousands of other farmers driving their tractors to a major demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. They want more support for the government's plans to make agriculture more ecologically sustainable.

"We are demanding a change in agricultural policy that rewards quality production," Schmitz told DW. The rallying cry #WirHabenEsSatt, or "We are fed up," has been planned for weeks by 60 activist groups.




Six farms close down in Germany on average every day, mainly because of skyrocketing production costs. Currently, there are over 250,000 farms across the country, but the numbers are falling steadily.

Schmitz produces milk from black-and-white spotted Holstein cows on his "Hanfer Farm," which has existed since at least 1850 and which the Schmitz family has been running for five generations. It is now the smallest farm in the area; all the other small farms have given up. If you ask Schmitz how many more years like 2022 he can hold out for, he says: "One."

"I had to pay 50% more for fuel and electricity than the year before. We can't absorb that in the long run," he said. "Together with my daughters, who want to take over the farm, I'll have to think about whether there's still a future for this."

Climate change brings drought

And then there is climate change, which is taking its toll on the meadows. Last year, three months went by without any rain. So Schmitz had to reduce his herd from 48 to 35 because his drought-struck pastures simply could not feed all the animals. A vicious circle: no water from above, no growth of grass, fewer animals, and less milk.

Organic farmers gaining ground

04:07

Some 35,000 farms in Germany are organically run. But they have been hit particularly hard by record inflation as a fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. For the first time in history, Germany's market for organic produce has shrunk, with sales down 4.1% by the end of October, according to the German Farmers' Association (DBV).

Consumers have to pay substantially more for organic produce due to the more labor-intensive production and the requirements of animal-friendly and environmentally-friendly farming. But they have been cutting back for months, giving organic supermarkets a wide berth. Sustainably produced foodstuffs are now mostly bought from discount supermarkets. That is where Schmitz now has to sell his milk, too.

The 57-year-old says the retail sector, which obviously prioritizes its own profits, is partly to blame for the current crisis: "It can't be that we see only a moderate price increase for our dairy products but consumer prices go up multiple times."

The organic farmer gets 56 cents ($0.61) for a liter of milk from the processing dairy; he would need 14 cents more per liter for things to add up.

The German government wants to increase the proportion of organic farms to 30% by 2030. But critics say this ambitious plan is illusory. They point to changes in consumer preferences, the sluggish progress in converting cultivation areas to organic production, and the lack of support from politicians.

"If society really wants a conversion, then that's where money must be put," says Bernd Schmitz. "If that doesn't happen, the restructuring can't take place."

German farmers held big demonstrations in Berlin in 2019 — making similar demands as today

Image: Reuters/A. Hilse

Schmitz is disappointed with the current center-left coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), and environmentalist Greens. He says they have not delivered on the promises made when they took office a year ago.

For Schmitz, this is clear on a small scale, as in the cafeteria of the federal parliament, the Bundestag, where few organic products are on the menu. And it goes all the way to free trade agreements that could be detrimental to small German farms: An EU alliance with the South American Mercosur states could come about this year, and a new attempt at a TTIP treaty with the US also seems possible again after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

For Schmitz, the new CETA agreement with Canada has already been a step in the wrong direction. "We want less meat consumption in Germany to protect the climate, and at the same time ratify a treaty that allows the import of 60,000 tons of beef from Canada?" he wonders.

When Schmitz joins hundreds of protesting farmers in Berlin this Sunday, they will be calling for a rethink. They demand more government support to ensure fair producer prices for sustainable GMO-free agriculture, facilitate a climate- and species-appropriate conversion of farming, promote fair trade and ban speculation in the food sector.

This article was originally written in German.

German parliament votes to approve EU-Canada trade pact

Thu, December 1, 2022 

BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers on Thursday approved a free-trade deal between the European Union and Canada, moving the accord a step closer to taking full effect.

The pact, formally known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, was signed in late 2016. Most of its terms have been implemented provisionally since 2017, but the parliaments of the EU's 27 member nations must ratify the deal for -it to come fully into force.

Chancellor OIaf Scholz's three-party coalition moved forward with ratifying it after Germany's highest court in March rejected complaints against CETA, at least in the form in which it is currently in effect.

Lawmakers voted 559-110 to approve the pact.

Another 11 EU countries have yet to ratify the deal, Verena Hubertz, a lawmaker with Scholz's center-left Social Democrats, told parliament's lower house before the vote.

“We are optimistic, now that we are moving forward, that others will also follow very quickly," she said. “But of course ... this is much too long and much too slow in a globalized world that turns quickly.”

Hubertz said Germany had to wait for the court verdict and added that “we have eliminated concerns” about details of a dispute mechanism built into the pact. Conservative opposition lawmakers argued that little or nothing has actually changed and charged that the center-left had held up ratification for ideological reasons.

The deal eliminates almost all customs duties and increases quotas for certain key products in Canada and the EU's respective markets. The EU has said the agreement will save its companies some 600 million euros ($623 million) a year in duties.

The Associated Press

Five years into Canada-Europe trade deal, full ratification not guaranteed

A dispute over how corporations can sue governments remains unresolved

OTTAWA — Canada’s trade deal with the European Union has been operating in draft mode for five years as of Wednesday, raising doubts it will ever be formally implemented.



A dispute over how corporations can sue governments remains unresolved. Yet Canadian trade experts say the deal remains a major win in an era of supply-chain shocks and pushback against globalization.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, came into force provisionally on Sept. 21, 2017, with the signatures of the European Commission and the Canadian government.

Since then, Canada-EU trade has risen 33 per cent, amounting to $100 billion in goods and services last year.

It’s meant more exports of everything from seafood to automotive parts to Europe, which has boosted its pharmaceutical and meat exports to Canada.

Yet the deal isn’t legally in place until all 27 members of the bloc individually ratify the deal.

Lawrence Herman, a Toronto trade lawyer, said key parts of the deal around tariffs, digital commerce and public procurement are in place.

“It is in effect in every real way,” Herman said in an interview Tuesday from France.

“I don't think CETA will ever be officially ratified.”

The most contentious issue surrounds which mechanisms countries can use to seek compensation and rectify disagreements with national, state and provincial governments, known as investor-state dispute settlements.

The idea is for a neutral mechanism to hear out complaints beyond courts, which could be influenced by national governments.

Labour and environmental activists have argued this gives up sovereignty of everything from consumer protection to worker safety.

A German senior court in February rejected arguments that this provision undermines the country’s constitution, but the clause remains controversial in Germany, which is among the 12 countries that haven’t ratified CETA.

Herman said in many of those countries, opposition is only getting stronger. “I just don't see it ever coming into force definitively,” he said.

Jason Langrish, head of the Canada Europe Roundtable for Business, agrees.

“There's a good chance it just sort of sits in this limbo,” said Langrish, who worked on CETA’s precursor as part of Canada’s delegation to the European Union, and helped represent industry groups in the CETA negotiations.

“The investor-state (tribunal) has been blown out of proportion,” he argued.

Trade Minister Mary Ng was unavailable for an interview Tuesday as she was travelling abroad.

But her office pointed out that Canada and EU countries will appoint members of the proposed tribunal, who will be "subject to rigorous ethical commitments, as well as a robust appellate mechanism."

"This agreement is giving Canadian farmers, producers, processors and exporters preferential access to more than half-a-billion consumers across the EU," said spokesman Chris Zhou.

Langrish said CETA’s main success has been to formalize rules around the large amount of trade the two parties were already doing, making Canada less reliant on the United States.

“As (U.S. President Donald) Trump came and went and protectionism became the order of the day, and we had all these difficulties with China, it was nice to have that relationship with Europe as a bit of a hedge,” he said.

“It sent a signal to the business communities in Canada and the EU, that they were both committed to each other and wanted to make this work as a long-term partnership.”

Langrish said trends in offshoring, immigration and automation have made it harder for politicians to sell trade deals, which themselves are becoming more complex.

That's because countries have already inked deals on getting goods across borders with lower taxes. That has meant modern trade negotiations involve more complex topics, such as technology regulations, labour qualifications and competition rules.

“The big-bang era of trade deals is over,” said Langrish.

CETA has been in the works since 2004, with the Harper government signing the initial agreement in 2014.

In 2016, ratification talks collapsed during a regional dispute in Belgium.

At that time, former trade minister Chrystia Freeland walked out of negotiations, giving an emotional interview in which she held back tears. The interview got attention across the continent, and talks went back on track within days.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is headed to Canada this month. Her visit was postponed after the death of Queen Elizabeth delayed various international meetings.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2022.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

Why the Canadian election matters to Europe


If Justin Trudeau falls to his conservative opponent, it could change Canada’s relationship with Europe on trade and climate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could lose the snap election he called in August | Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images

BY CLOTHILDE GOUJARD

POLITICO
September 20, 2021 

Europe has been so busy saying goodbye to its favorite German leader that it hasn’t even noticed that its liberal friend in Canada could be on the verge of taking his own bow.

Monday’s parliamentary election has turned into a much tougher race than Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expected, and he could lose his job after almost six years in office.

The Canadian leader, who had been leading a minority government, called a snap election in mid-August, backed by favorable polls that indicated he might be able to win a majority in parliament. But his gamble soon turned sour as Canadians unexpectedly started looking to his relatively unknown Conservative opponent, Erin O’Toole.

The Liberals and the Conservatives are now in a dead heat, each polling at around 30 percent. Thanks to the vagaries of Canada’s electoral system, most predictions call for Trudeau to scrape in with another minority government. However, there is also a chance that Europe will have to deal with a new Conservative Party prime minister in Ottawa whose agenda is very different from Trudeau’s.

Any change in Ottawa could cause tremors in Europe, which has enjoyed a steady relationship with Trudeau’s government, giving the bloc a predictable partner on climate issues, human rights, technology, migration and defense as it navigated rocky relationships with other key allies like the U.S. under Donald Trump.

Here are a few key areas that could be affected.

CANZUK dreams

Four years after Brussels cinched a major trade agreement with Canada, several European capitals such as Berlin and Amsterdam have yet to greenlight the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA — leaving billions of euros in goods and services at stake. Several European consumer advocacy groups have filed lawsuits challenging the deal.

O’Toole, 48, does not see Europe as an immediate priority for trade. His policy platform contains very few references to trade with the EU, instead proposing to boost Canada’s relations and exchanges with the U.K., Commonwealth countries and the U.S., where he aims to harmonize farm product regulations.

He has pledged to launch a new trade deal with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. — a grouping called CANZUK that’s supported by many Brexit advocates.

The Conservative Party said it would also pursue a trade deal and investment treaty with India.

Separately, O’Toole has promised to enlarge the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, creating more trade links between Canada and several countries in South and Central America and Asia.

For all of O’Toole’s plans, it would be hard for him to dismiss Europe, which is Canada’s third-largest trading partner behind the U.S. and China, with over €79 billion of goods and services exchanged in 2020.

Go slow on climate change

The Conservative leader has signaled he would do a near U-turn from Trudeau on climate change policy.

As one of the world’s highest polluting countries per capita, Canada under Trudeau began implementing climate-friendly policies to limit the footprint of its powerful oil and gas industry, despite considerable pushback in parts of the country. In April, he announced an increase in the pledge Canada made in the 2015 Paris Agreement — aiming to cut emissions by 40 percent to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

O’Toole would return to Canada’s previous objective of slashing emissions by 30 percent by 2030. At a climate summit, O’Toole accused the Liberal government of promoting climate ambitions just to impress the international community, while letting Canada’s oil industry decline.

While O’Toole did lay out a climate action plan — a change from his party’s past approach — he also said a Conservative government would revive dead pipeline projects and build new ones.

“We should make sure that democratic countries use Canadian resources, not resources from Saudi Arabia or Venezuela or Russia,” he said.

The Conservative Party, which wants to protect the country’s oil and gas industry, has pledged to crack down on pipeline protester blockades, lift bans on oil tankers in protected natural areas and pour more money into offshore oil drilling and natural gas exports.

It also wants to cap the price on carbon, a key tool to curb emissions. The Conservatives want to go no higher than 50 Canadian dollars (€33.40) per ton — up from the current 40 Canadian dollars. Trudeau’s government has planned yearly increases up to 170 Canadian dollars a ton by 2030.

“Having a market-based approach means that we cannot ignore the fact that our integrated North American partner — the United States — does not yet have a national carbon pricing system,” the conservative platform reads.

Pivot to Asia

Pitching Canada as a Pacific nation, O’Toole’s election platform argues: “It is in Canada’s interest to join our allies in securing the future of a peaceful Indo-Pacific.”

The Montreal native has taken a hawkish stance on China, promising to ban Huawei equipment from 5G network infrastructure to protect national security and doubling down on rhetoric about “China’s aggression.”

The approach contrasts with Trudeau, who has been more careful dealing with the Asian powerhouse, mirroring the approach taken in much of Europe.

On Thursday, O’Toole said a Conservative government would push to join the U.S., U.K., and Australia in their recently unveiled defense-and-technology-sharing pact. He also said he would seek to join the Quad alliance, which comprises the U.S., Japan, Australia and India.

“Canada is becoming irrelevant under Mr. Trudeau,” O’Toole said at a campaign stop Thursday. “We’re becoming more divided at home, less prosperous and the world is a serious place with challenges.”

An unstable outcome

Even if Trudeau’s Liberal Party wins enough seats to form a minority government, he would face a divided and unstable parliament as he would need to seek support from other parties, such as the left-wing New Democratic Party, the separatist Bloc Québécois and the Green Party.

That could make him a more difficult partner for Brussels, and the turmoil caused by such an outcome could continue to destabilize Canadian politics.

“We may not have a clear outcome, in which case we may be going back to the polls in the spring,” said Michael Wernick, a former senior Canadian government official.

MORE FROM ... CLOTHILDE GOUJARD

The Irish Times view on elections in Canada: Justin Trudeau’s gamble

Even if Conservatives beat Liberals in popular vote their path to power is far from clear

about 11 hours ago

 

In August, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau obtained a dissolution of parliament two years before the end of its natural term. The resulting general election will take place today.

Trudeau’s Liberal Party lost its previous overall majority in 2019 and has since depended on support from parties outside the government, principally the left-wing National Democrats.

An opinion poll released just before the dissolution put the Liberals five points ahead of their Conservative rivals. But that lead soon evaporated and several subsequent polls have shown the Conservatives pulling ahead. In the last days before the election the lead has seemed to switch almost every day between the two big parties.

• Trudeau struggling to convince voters of the need for an early election

Trudeau has campaigned on his management of the Covid crisis, generally seen as successful. In response to growing concern over the cost of housing he has also promised a temporary ban on foreign investment in residential property. The Conservatives’ Erin O’Toole has had a good campaign.

His advocacy of a more moderate brand of conservatism seems to have gone down well, even if it may puzzle some in the CPC’s traditionally hard-line support base. O’Toole’s repositioning has opened up space on his right for the populist People’s Party, campaigning on an anti-vax, climate-change-sceptic, pro-gun, pro-oil-industry platform.

Populist activists have also broken with the normally civil conduct of Canadian politics, though their rowdy disruption of Liberal rallies may have been counter-productive.

Even if the Conservatives beat the Liberals today in the popular vote their path to power is far from clear. Conservative support is concentrated in western Canada, but most of the seats are in the east, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, where Liberals and the Bloc Québécois are strong.

Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system can also deliver a disproportional result. The Conservatives could break through, with a greater surge than the polls have suggested, but an equally possible scenario is for Trudeau’s Liberals to win more seats than their rivals yet end up back where they started, dependent on the left to govern.

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

NFU Bulletin
Wednesday, June 9, 2021

In this Issue:

Summer Webinar Series: Food Justice
Gene Editing & Agroecology – Reframing the Debate on Food System Transition
Help Your Workers Stay Safe During COVID-19
Assurez la sécurité de vos travailleurs durant la pandémie de COVID-19
Les agriculteurs jouent un rôle de premier plan dans l’élaboration de politiques de réduction des émissions
The climate benefits of Canada’s dairy supply management program
Mourning the 215 Children Found in Unmarked Graves at Residential School Site, We Commit to Decolonization
NFU Submission on Bill C-216 Supply Management
NFU urges MPs to safeguard supply management by passing Bill C-216
Solidarity With Palestine, Now!
Canary Seed will soon become an official grain
La graine à canaris deviendra bientôt un grain officiel


UPCOMING SESSIONS




Summer Webinar Series: Food Justice

On Wednesday, June 16, 2021, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM EST, join Dr. Sarah Wakefield and the University of Toronto School of the Environment in the second installment of its annual Summer Webinar Series! Considering the isolating nature of the pandemic, the School of the Environment is collaborating with the Environmental Students' Union to give students and the broader environmental community the opportunity to learn, connect, and share with one another.

In this webinar, Dr. Sarah Wakefield, a Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, will draw upon her twenty years of research on food systems to discuss the evolution of food activism in Canada. In the first half of the webinar, Dr. Wakefield will examine the role of activist organizations in challenging the exploitative relationships that remain prevalent in our food system, and the shift towards food justice and food sovereignty activism. In the second half of the webinar, Dr. Wakefield and the audience will explore food activism in Canada and highlight various actions that may support the creation of sustainable and just food systems while challenging existing power structures.

BACK TO TOP



Click here to Register!




Gene Editing & Agroecology – Reframing the Debate on Food System Transition

Mon, June 14, 2021 | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM BST

Looked at through the lens of the current industrial farming paradigm, gene editing makes sense as a ‘tool in the toolbox’. But farming urgently needs to change and it is widely agreed that agroecology is the paradigm we need to adopt. So what does gene editing – and other high tech options – look like when assessed within an agroecological framework?

This session examines how genome editing looks when viewed through the lens of 10 principles of agroecology. An expert panel will explore the pace of development in genome editing – and related technologies, the force of the “tool in the toolbox ‘ narrative, whether it is a help or a hindrance to an agroecological transition, and how it affects farmers, policy and the perception of where farming goes next.

Panel
Maywa Montenegro, Assistant professor in Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Jim Thomas, Co-Executive Director and Researcher with the ETC Group.
Chantal Clement, Deputy Director of IPES-Food.
Francesco Ajena, Independent consultant on sustainable and resilient food systems.
Chris Smaje, British farmer and author of Small Farm Future.
Nettie Wiebe, Organic farmer and professor of ethics at St. Andrew’s College, University of Saskatchewan.

Chair
Pat Thomas, Director, Beyond GM/A Bigger Conversation

Conversational format will include an audience Q&A session.

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Help Your Workers Stay Safe During COVID-19

Free Online Course for Temporary Foreign Workers

To keep your agricultural operation safe and productive, you need to protect your workers from COVID-19. This free online course helps temporary foreign workers learn about how COVID-19 spreads, how to protect themselves, and what to do if they become sick. Assign this course to multiple people and track its completion. Available in English, French, and Spanish.

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More COVID-19 Resources for Temporary Foreign Workers

Access videos, infographics, and other resources to help protect your workers from COVID-19.

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Assurez la sécurité de vos travailleurs durant la pandémie de COVID-19

Cours en ligne gratuit pour les travailleurs étrangers temporaires

Pour que votre exploitation agricole demeure sûre et productive, vous devez protéger vos travailleurs contre la COVID 19. Ce cours en ligne gratuit montre aux travailleurs étrangers temporaires comment la COVID-19 se propage, quels moyens prendre pour se protéger et quoi faire s’ils tombent malades. Inscrivez plusieurs personnes à ce cours et suivez les taux d’achèvement. Disponible en anglais, en français et en espagnol.

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Inscription au cours



Ressources supplémentaires sur la COVID-19 pour les travailleurs étrangers temporaires


Accédez des vidéos, des infographies et d’autres ressources pour aider à protéger vos travailleurs contre la COVID-19.

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Les agriculteurs jouent un rôle de premier plan dans l’élaboration de politiques de réduction des émissions

Le Canada s’est engagé à réduire ses émissions de gaz à effet de serre de 40% d’ici 2030 et à atteindre la carboneutralité d’ici 2050. De grands changements sont à venir, pour tous les secteurs, et les organisations et coalitions agricoles proposent des solutions.

Les émissions agricoles proviennent de trois sources principales : les engrais azotés, les carburants et le bétail. De nombreux agriculteurs veulent réduire les émissions découlant de ces trois sources, mais nous avons besoin que les gouvernements s’associent à nous pour soutenir et accélérer nos transitions, et ce, de manière à améliorer les revenus agricoles nets. Lors de réunions avec le ministre de l’Agriculture du Canada et autres décideurs, l’Union nationale des fermiers (UNF) a mis en exergue plusieurs programmes nécessaires.

Cliquez ici pour lire la suite



The climate benefits of Canada’s dairy supply management program

Darrin Qualman at the Canadian National Farmers Union noted that the smaller dairy herds can be grazed on grasslands, helping to sequester carbon and minimize emissions. Destroying or displacing smaller, dispersed grazing herds of dairy cattle and replacing them with production from huge, centralized, non-grazing herds is a net loss for soil health, carbon sequestration, sustainability and the climate.

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Mourning the 215 Children Found in Unmarked Graves at Residential School Site, We Commit to Decolonization

In particular, we strongly support the calls for an Indigenous-led, government funded inquiry into the undocumented deaths and burials on sites of residential schools, in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action 71-76. We also support calls for the federal government to fund care centres and other forms of support for residential school survivors and their families.

We recognize that this is an especially important time for us to listen and centre the voices of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. This is a time for us to deepen our understanding of Indigenous dispossession, and reflect on the paradigms of land ownership and commodification that undermine Indigenous food sovereignty, governance, and kinship systems. The actions we take on a daily basis can make a difference, and we need to hold governments, those around us, and ourselves to account for perpetuating systemic racism and injustice.

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Click here to read the Statement!









NFU Submission on Bill C-216 Supply Management

This week the NFU asked House of Commons Committee on International Trade to support Bill C-216. This Private Members Bill would make it illegal for any future trade deals to provide more foreign access to Canada's supply-managed markets.

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NFU urges MPs to safeguard supply management 

by passing Bill C-216

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is urging Members of Parliament to support Bill C-216, which would make it illegal for any future trade agreement to provide more foreign access to Canada’s supply-managed markets.

The supply management system stands upon three pillars: production discipline, which ensures farmers produce no more or less than the market needs; cost-of-production pricing, which ensures that farmers receive a fair income; and import control, which prevents over-supply. Bill C-216 ensures that the third pillar will remain in place.

“The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with Europe (CETA), the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUMSA), show us why we need Bill C-216,” said Katie Ward, NFU President. “Each took a significant portion of Canada’s supply managed market away from Canadian family farmers.”

Now, Canada is negotiating trade agreements with the United Kingdom and with the Mercosur countries — Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela – in South America.
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Solidarity With Palestine, Now!

In April 2021, Human Rights Watch (HRW) confirmed what the people of the world have been denouncing for years: “The Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.” According to the new HRW Report, “The severity of the repression in the occupied territory, including the imposition of a draconian military regime on the Palestinians while Jewish Israelis living in a segregated way in the same territory enjoy all their rights, which Israeli Civil Law respects as rights, amounts to a systematic oppression necessary for the existence of apartheid”.

This May 15th was the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba or “catastrophe” that occurred in 1948 with the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands to create the State of Israel. Although the agreement sanctioned by the United Nations was that they would only occupy 55 percent of the Palestinian territory, in violation of international law they occupied most of Palestine through violence and repression. In the context of Nakba 2021, known as “the day of pain” by the Palestinian people, the Criminal State of Israel intensified its occupationist plans and displacement of the Palestinians with a series of violent attacks that have resulted in the vile murder of more than 250 Palestinians – the majority being children, women and seniors. In response, La Via Campesina issued a new Declaration of Solidarity telling the world, once again: Palestinian Rights are Human Rights too! 

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Canary Seed will soon become an official grain

News release

June 9, 2021 Winnipeg Canadian Grain Commission

The Canadian Grain Commission has released a new online tool to help producers quickly and accurately determine the volume and test weight of their grain.

The test weight calculators for Canadian grains , which are available for free on the Canadian Grain Commission's website, will make it easier for producers to calculate the test weight of their grain in 3 commonly used units of measurement:
kilogram per hectolitre (kg / hL)
pounds per Avery bushel (lb / bu-A)
pounds per Winchester bushel (lb / bu-W)

The tool also includes calculators to help producers convert tons to bushels and determine the volume of grain in bins, piles, and containers.

With this information, producers will be better equipped to make business decisions for their farm. For example, accurate volume estimates are critical for producers, especially when reporting for crop insurance. The tool will also help producers determine Winchester bushel weights when they are delivering against a US contract. Test weights are also important when calculating how many trips can be made hauling grain to elevators and storage facilities.

Quote

"As a producer, I understand how important it is to have accurate data about my crop. These calculators are an easy way to get accurate conversion results and give farmers another tool to use in managing their operation."

Doug chorney

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The Conversation Canada

What Biden's presidency means for Canada-U.S. agri-food trade

Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor, Assistant Professor, Agri-Food Trade and Policy, University of Guelph and Eugene Beaulieu, Professor, Economics, University of Calgary
Updated Sun., January 31, 2021

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden, U.S. vice president at the time, walk down the Hall of Honour on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in December 2016. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle

Although international trade has long been affected by domestic politics, former U.S. president Donald Trump dramatically increased trade irritants between the United States and Canada. This was especially challenging in the agricultural sector where political interference in international trade is more prevalent than in the non-agricultural sector.

In our recent article in the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, we analyzed how Trump’s presidency affected agri-food trade between the two countries and how the situation might change under President Joe Biden.

We argue that Trump’s negative rhetoric and actions heightened trade uncertainty and undermined global trading rules, which tends to disrupt international trade. This was a major challenge for a small open economy like Canada that depends largely on the American market. In particular, the politically sensitive nature of the agri-food sector makes agricultural trade highly dependent on diplomatic ties between countries.
Canada more reliant on the U.S.

Canada’s relationship with the U.S. is important for the agri-food sector in both countries, but it’s somewhat one-sided in terms of Canadian reliance on the American market.

Canada is the top destination for American agricultural exports, accounting for 15 per cent of the country’s total agricultural exports in 2019. Conversely, the U.S. is the foremost buyer of Canadian agri-food products, accounting for 58 per cent of total Canadian agri-food exports. This isn’t surprising due to the countries’ close proximity and similar consumer tastes and values.

But the Canada-U.S. political relationship became hostile during the Trump presidency due to the former president’s erratic foreign policy decisions, tariff wars and his verbal attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The tense political relationship created an environment of uncertainty, adversely affecting the bilateral trading relationship.

A cyclist passes between two canola fields near Cremona, Alta., in a July 2016. The U.S. was the top market for Canadian canola in 2019. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Major trade disputes between the two countries at both the World Trade Organization (WTO) and within the former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have largely involved the agricultural sector. WTO trade disputes over softwood lumber, hard wheat and durum and the compulsory country-of-origin labelling requirements, for example, were all within the agricultural sector.

The long-standing softwood lumber dispute predates Trump, but was escalated during his presidency and could not be sorted out under NAFTA and WTO dispute settlement mechanisms. It was resolved only through political negotiations when both parties signed a memorandum of understanding.

Canada diversifying?

The graph below shows that although bilateral agri-food exports from Canada to the U.S. increased marginally from 2015 and 2019, Canadian agri-food imports from the U.S. remained flat.

Agri-food imports and exports. Author provided

The increasing number of agri-food imports to Canada from nations other than the U.S., and the flat-lining of imports from south of the border, shows the Canadian economy may be diversifying away from the U.S. and not relying solely on Americans to be the main suppliers of its food basket.

Continuing trade uncertainty with the U.S. could push Canada to pursue its market diversification agenda more aggressively. Canada has shown serious signs of market diversification through its membership in two major free-trade agreements — the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union and the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with Pacific Rim countries.

Read more: Canada-U.K. free trade: A post-Brexit opportunity

Biden’s presidency

In his inaugural speech, Biden promised to immediately work to repair and renew relationships with U.S. allies and return America to a leadership role in the world. His first call to a foreign leader was made to Trudeau, and he assured the prime minister that “Buy American” policies weren’t aimed at Canada.

Biden is facing significant domestic political challenges, and it’s too soon to know how he’ll deal with trade irritants and address the harm done by the Trump administration. But it’s clear he’s intent on returning to multilateralism.

The American dissatisfaction with the World Trade Organization (WTO) predates Trump and runs deep in the U.S. Barack Obama’s administration also blocked appointments to the appellate body based on this dissatisfaction. However, Biden has been clear about supporting a strong multilateral trading system and isn’t expected to be obstructionist like the Trump administration, but instead will likely work with allies to address concerns with the WTO.

When it comes to trade deals, Biden has acknowledged the importance of deals like the CPTPP that Trump pulled out of on his third day in office. But he’s also promised to protect American workers.
Protectionist forces

Protectionist forces will continue to disrupt trade between the two countries, but we can expect a closer and more constructive relationship under Biden. Trade disputes won’t disappear, but the approach to them will change, and improved U.S.-Canada diplomatic relations will have a positive impact on Canada’s agri-food sector.

Canada’s prime minister and Biden are much closer in terms of ideology, policy objectives and leadership style than Trump and Trudeau were, and they share views on eliminating trade barriers instead of imposing them.

Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, arrive at the airport in Richmond, B.C. in 2015 when he was serving as U.S. vice-president. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

The past four years of trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada were largely politically motivated, especially Trump’s imposition of steel and aluminium tariffs in the name of national security, which Canada responded to by imposing retaliatory tariffs on a number of agri-food products from the United States.

Such unilateral decisions will probably be minimal under Biden. Bilateral trade flows between both countries are unlikely to be affected by the types of erratic trade actions favoured by Trump.

Closer political ties between the Biden administration and the Canadian prime minister means a more constructive and co-operative approach to solving challenges between the two countries in the agri-food sector. Trade disputes will undoubtedly continue, but diplomatic efforts will work to resolve these disputes. This is a positive development for the Canadian agri-food industry.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor, University of Guelph and Eugene Beaulieu, University of Calgary.

Read more:

The measly $292.50 that could have transformed Canada’s agrifood sector

Canada’s new food policy means everyone’s at the table

Sylvanus Kwaku Afesorgbor receives funding from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Eugene Beaulieu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Originally published Sun., January 31, 2021

VOTE BUYING

Canada adds extra C$691 million to agriculture sector, cuts timeline for dairy farmers' aid

(Reuters) - Canada's government said on Saturday it will pump an additional C$691 million ($531.87 million) to support the country's dairy, poultry and egg farmers, and also reduced the timeline for payment promised to dairy farmers last year

.

© Reuters/ALEX FILIPE Dairy workers maintain a farm in Carrying Place

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the government slashed its initial eight-year schedule and will deliver the remaining C$1.405 billion from a total of C$1.75 billion promised in August 2019, directly to farmers in only three years.

The package for dairy farmers also build on a $250 million CETA on-farm investment program, Bibeau said in a statement https://www.canada.ca/en/agriculture-agri-food/news/2020/11/government-of-canada-announces-investments-to-support-supply-managed-dairy-poultry-and-egg-farmers.html

The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, sets out the removal of tariffs on 99% of all goods types traded between the EU and Canada, some over a period of up to seven years.

The government's compensation payments recognize business dairy and poultry farmers have lost out after trade pacts were struck with the European Union and Pacific nations.

Bibeau last year promised that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government will make no further dairy market-access concessions in other trade negotiations. https://bit.ly/2VfvS6I

Dairy Farmers of Canada President Pierre Lampron welcomed the compensation plan.

Lampron said the latest move will place the dairy farmer group in a better position to compete with increased imports of dairy products made from foreign milk.

($1 = 1.2992 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Alistair Bell)

FRANCE 

Peasant unions unanimous against free trade

by Bhavi Mandalia
September 30, 2020

In recent days, criticism against the free trade agreements signed between the European Commission and Canada, then with the Mercosur countries, has become increasingly fierce in France. Very critical of the economic and ecological consequences of the agreement between Europe and Mercosur, the report of the Commission chaired by Stéphan Ambec and submitted to Prime Minister Jean Castex on September 18, prompted the reaction of many peasant trade unionists as well as certain professionals of the meat industry in France. In a joint press release, the FNSEA and the Young Farmers union say they are “comforted by the Ambec report which confirms that the enormous difference in terms of production standards would lead to unfair competition for certain key sectors of European production. The conclusion is simple, the import of agricultural products from Mercosur would jeopardize the viability of entire sections of French agriculture, ”believe these two unions.
For a differential treatment of the agricultural sector

In another paragraph of their joint press release we can read this: “it is the very concept of free trade agreements that must be reviewed to promote regulated trade, differential treatment of the agricultural sector and allow all countries of the world solidarity in food sovereignty ”. The FNSEA has not always used this language in the past. We can therefore think that the experience of the peasant world in recent years has also made the union activists of the specialized associations of the FNSEA reflect in the various production sectors.

The second union in the country with electoral influence, the Rural Coordination delivers its findings through the voice of its president Bernard Lannes: “The EU-Mercosur agreement provides for increasing imports of meat, sugar and soybeans from the Mercosur countries. , the production of which is industrializing strongly due to the aggressive orientation towards exports ”. Opposite, he continues, “peasants in Europe face significant challenges in producing food in a way that respects the climate and animal welfare, which leads to increased costs for farms. However, the increasing and unskilled imports from Mercosur countries intensify the pressure on costs for farming families and European peasants ”. Like the FNSEA and the JA, the Rural Coordination is opposed to the ratification of this agreement, which is also the case for the Confédération paysanne and MODEF from the start.

Suspend the provisional application of CETA

The FNSEA specialized union in the production of beef cattle, the National Bovine Federation (FNB) believes in a press release that “an immediate halt must be given to this free trade policy!” Whatever the commercial issues, the EU must no longer authorize the importation of products that do not strictly meet European production standards (…) The provisional application of CETA must therefore be suspended. The agreement with Mercosur must be rejected from the first stage of ratification, i.e. the vote for its signature by the Member States, in the Council of the EU, which the former European Commissioner for Commerce had announced for the month of October, ”recalls the FNB.

Irish national Phil Hogan had become commissioner in charge of trade in the new commission after having been an incompetent commissioner in charge of agriculture in that chaired by the Luxembourger Jean-Claude Juncker. In August he was led to hand in his resignation to Ursula Von der Leyen after attending a gala dinner for 80 people in Dublin in contradiction with the sanitary rules of the moment.
France must reject these two agreements

Farmers and their unions are not alone in opposing these free trade agreements. The Cattle and Meat inter-profession known by the acronym “Interbev” writes this in a recent press release: “on reading the report on CETA, the inter-professional organization considers unacceptable the many failures highlighted by the European Commission on the systems of Canadian meat traceability. It is clear that this system of traceability and control of meat exported by Canada to the European Union does not guarantee to date that these meats are hormone-free and anabolic-free ”.

While the Senate has just been partly renewed, it now has solid arguments for not ratifying CETA, this free trade agreement signed between Europe and Canada and approved in 2019 by a vote of the Assembly. national when the LaREM group was still in the majority.

Gerard Le Puill

US Trade Commission hears testimony on CETA's impact on US lobster exports

Steve Bittenbender October 1, 2020  SeafoodSource News

The U.S. International Trade Commission heard testimony Thursday, 1 October, on the effect the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union has had on America’s lobster industry.

The Canada-E.U. pact, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), has had a detrimental effect on U.S. lobstermen and exporters since it took effect three years ago, according to Robert DeHaan, the vice president for government affairs for the National Fisheries Institute. DeHaan said the deal meant U.S. exporters faced 8 percent tariffs on live lobsters and up to 20 percent on value-added products while their Canadian counterparts paid no levies on the same products, providing them with a significant competitive advantage.

That is expected to change as the E.U. and U.S. reached a deal on 21 August to remove the tariffs from lobster products. The five-year deal, retroactive to 1 August, awaits some final changes, but DeHaan said it is welcome news for lobstermen and businesses that have endured other hardships this year with the COVID-19 crisis.

Both DeHaan and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in prepared remarks that the USITC also needs to be looking into other trade deals to help the lobster industry. Their top recommendation is a targeting of China for a deal, where again Canada has been able to overtake the U.S. because of friendlier tariff rates, while the Sino-U.S. trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump has resulted in lobster and many other U.S. seafood products facing higher tariff rates than four years ago.

“It is vital that our government support the efforts of the U.S. lobster industry to access new consumers and markets overseas,” Collins said in her statement. “I will continue to advocate for a level playing field for Maine’s lobster industry.”

DeHaan also added that the U.S. Trade Representative should pursue a free-trade agreement with Great Britain that mirrors the E.U. pact and also include other seafood products, such as whitefish, salmon, and shellfish. However, he cautioned that British officials seem intent on maintaining some of the old E.U. policies.

“Here, nevertheless, is the perfect opportunity for the administration to secure fair and reciprocal trade for those exporters, in an agreement with a developed nation whose consumers need no introduction to premium American finfish and shellfish products,” DeHaan said.

In addition to Thursday’s hearing, the USITC is still taking written submissions through 16 October. Those documents must be filed through the commission’s electronic system.

Photo courtesy of Maine Lobster Marketing Council