Days before a new trade agreement between Canada and China is set to take effect, some Manitoba industries are expecting relief, while others are stuck with uncertainty.

China implemented a 100 per cent tariff on a number of Canadian products in March 2025, including rapeseed oil, pork and peas. After a state visit to China in January, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced China would be lowering tariffs on products including canola meal, lobsters and peas, starting March 1 until the end of 2026.

In an analysis of the local impact the trade deal will have across the country published this week, the Institute for Research on Public Policy found some Manitoba communities were among the most reliant on the Chinese market.

Manitoba is home to three of the report’s 10 Canadian communities with the highest exposure to China exports. Parts of northwest Manitoba reported seven per cent of its jobs are tied to the Chinese market, the third-highest in the country, because of its ore mining industry. Parts of the Pembina Valley and Westman regions reported 6.4 per cent and 5.7 per cent reliance, respectively, the fifth- and sixth-highest rates in the country, both through farming exports.