Canada needs trade beyond U.S.

August 31, 2026

Key points from this story:

• CUSMA talks collapsed
• Canada must look beyond U.S.
• Trump creates volatile trade environment
• Pakistan bought 506,656 tonnes canola
• Almost no Pakistan sales 2023-2025
• Consider exploring ties with European Union

The prospect of a new CUSMA deal was always remote with president Donald Trump at the helm in the U.S.. He is that unicorn of presidents being in-part protectionist in the extreme, with a healthy dose of easily bruised ego, resulting in his decisions changing on erratic whims no one - himself included - can explain coherently.

The issue for Canada in terms of trade - and really for any country wanting to deal with the U.S. - is that Trump creates a volatility difficult to quantify.

We may hold out hope that mid-term election results in November soften things but a cloud hangs over that vote in terms of how legitimate its results might be, and there is at least some who wonder if Trump will ever willingly leave the White House.

And, if gone, the damage he has caused in terms of relations with just about everyone - shockingly North Korean leader Kim Jong Un an exception - which will likely take years to rebuild.

So it is important for Canada - in particular for the ag sector - to see reports like the recent one where Pakistan is back buying large volumes of Canadian canola.

With almost no sales from 2023-2025 to Pakistan the country is apparently purchasing 506,656 tonnes of Canadian canola during the first six months of 2026.

The deal isn't so large as to dramatically change trade numbers overall, but it is the sort of thing Canada needs to be redoubling its efforts toward getting done.

Certainly many will have seen suggestions Canada consider joining the European Union, a move that would likely not be as good for the ag sector as one might think given how fiercely protective of domestic ag many EU countries are - a focus lingering from the starvation of two world wars.

But, such talk is at least worth the process of considering. Long have we lived next door to our major trade partner and while there have been disputes, we felt confident at the end of the day the US was a friend and ally.

An invasion of Venezuela, a war started in Iran, and covetous remarks about annexing Greenland and Canada becoming an American state are rather compelling evidence that Trump has tromped upon multiple friendships in pursuit of his ego.

So the rules of the game have changed, and Canada needs to look globally more than ever to forge new trade efforts in the vacuum that Trump has created.