Red potash is stored in a warehouse at Nutrien’s Cory Potash mine near Saskatoon. Prime Minister Mark Carney noted that Canada currently supplies the vast majority of the potash used by U.S. farmers.Matt Smith/The Globe and Mail
Prime Minister Mark Carney made a public pitch Tuesday for Canada and the United States to form a partnership that would make the two countries self-sufficient in fertilizer.
He voiced the proposal after Donald Trump toyed with switching to Belarus as a supplier of potash, a major ingredient in fertilizer for crops. Canada currently supplies about 85 per cent of the United States’ potash needs.
Mr. Carney spoke to reporters during his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. It was a day after Mr. Trump said he was working on an agreement to import potash from Belarus, an Eastern European dictatorship closely allied with Russia, in a bid to lessen dependence on Canada amid the trade war.
But Mr. Trump announced Tuesday the United States would continue to buy potash from Canada when he spoke to reporters during a bilateral meeting at the UN with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Prime Minister Mark Carney defended multilateralism at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly as U.S. President Donald Trump puts pressure on international institutions.
The Canadian Press
The Prime Minister was asked about the fact that the U.S. President had backed off his Belarus idea.
In response, Mr. Carney noted that Canada provides the vast majority of the potash used by U.S. farmers and represents a cost-effective supplier for the U.S. He predicted that this would continue to be true.
The Prime Minister then suggested Canada and the U.S. work together across all fertilizer ingredients to become a self-sufficient bloc for these products.
“I think that there is a real opportunity, if we so choose – and it’s one of many, many opportunities that Canada and the United States have to co-operate – to become fertilizer independent,” Mr. Carney said.
“That would be good for Canadian farmers. It would be great for American farmers, and it’s an opportunity we’re prepared to explore.”
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The U.S. President’s trade war on Canada has been repeatedly hamstrung by his country’s heavy dependence on its neighbour to the north for many goods, including potash.
American reliance on Canada for potash has caused Mr. Trump to grant the substance carveouts from his tariffs.
On Monday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko himself raised concerns about his country’s ability to supply the U.S., saying Belarus has already committed most of its potash exports to other countries.
Mr. Trump said Belarus would have provided a cheaper source of the fertilizer ingredient.
“Belarus has a lot of potash, and our farmers need good prices, and we want to get a lower price,” Mr. Trump told reporters when asked about the proposed deal.
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“We’ll continue to go with Canada, but Belarus would like to sell it for a much lower price.”
Mr. Carney was asked Tuesday if he had a chance to meet Mr. Trump in New York. The Prime Minister replied that he saw the UN General Assembly gathering as a chance to meet other leaders he normally might not encounter.
“I find that when you have 160 leaders come to New York, it’s most valuable to meet those who you don’t normally see,” Mr. Carney said.
His Tuesday meetings in Manhattan included King Abdullah II of Jordan, Chilean President José Antonio Kast, Angolan President João Lourenço and Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates.
With reports from Canadian Press, Adrian Morrow and Kate Helmore