Canada’s agri sector loses 12,400 jobs despite employment boom
Canada’s jobless rate decreased to 6.9% from 7.0% during last month.
Last week, US mills took huge volumes of Canadian canola and wheat, the product of a record harvest in Canada.
The grain was transported via truck, as the rail links in the region are still struggling to recover from brutal storms which hit north America throughout last winter.
Around Can$20bn (€13bn) worth of grain and oilseeds is piled up in country elevators and farm bins waiting for rail cars, limiting sales opportunities in Canada and pinching farmers’ cashflow.
Instead of waiting longer for port-bound trains, some farmers are loading trucks to buyers like Northstar Agri Industries, which crushes canola near Hallock, Minnesota, 40km from the Canadian border.
Meanwhile, British Trade Minister Ian Livingston has called for a speedy conclusion to the planned Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement trade deal between the EU and Canada, which could benefit British firms by an additional £1.3bn (€1.6bn) a year.
Speaking during a trade mission to Canada, Mr Livingston said the deal “has real potential to create growth and jobs in both countries”.
Britain is Canada’s top trading partner within the European Union, and its second largest trade and investment partner after the US.
Britain exported £4.2bn (€5bn) worth of goods to Canada in 2012, and €4.75bn in services.
