Photo Gallery: Carney reaches ‘landmark’ tariff-quota deal with China on EVs, canola

By Canadian Press on January 16, 2026.

The Liberal government has reached a deal with Beijing to slash tariffs on a set number of Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China dropping duties on agriculture products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.

It marks the prime minister’s first deal on trade since taking office last year and a de-escalation in tensions with a country the Liberal government had, in recent years, branded a disruptive power.

Carney described it as a “preliminary but landmark” agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs, part of a broader strategic partnership with China.

Canadian canola meal, lobsters, crabs and peas will no longer be subject to Chinese “anti-discrimination” tariffs from March to at least the end of the year.

In return, up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles will be allowed into the Canadian market each year at a 6.1 per cent tariff instead of the current 100 per cent tariff.

The deal also comes as the Liberal government seeks to double non-U.S. exports by 2030 — and boost them by 50 per cent to China by that date as well.

Here is a look at some scenes from Friday’s events.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2026.

The Canadian Press