Thank you, Mr. Hagerman.
Ms. Conlon, in 2023, the government announced that it was withdrawing Russia's Most-Favoured-Nation Tariff treatment under the Customs Tariff. It also announced that a General Tariff of 35% would henceforth be applied to virtually all Russian imports.
Some agricultural groups in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada that depend on Russian fertilizer imports objected to the tariff, pointing out that Canada is the only G7 country to impose a tariff on Russian fertilizer, so the measure was counterproductive, since Canadian agricultural products were less competitive on international markets than Russian agricultural products.
Given the circumstances, in the 2023 budget, the Canadian government allocated $34.1 million over three years starting in 2023‑24 to assist farmers.