It is increasingly rare that something done by the federal government has much in the way of a direct effect on our city.
While the feds might point to efforts such as the Canada Builds Fund as something which can be accessed by communities across the country, to-date the money seems to be flowing primarily to very large projects in cities much larger than our own.
That is not necessarily a big surprise since the larger the city the more federal voters it contains, and whether anyone wants to admit it or not, funds have a decided tendency to flow to places where the most votes are at stake.
The fact federal government decisions seem to have so little direct effect on our lives may be part of the reason for the increasing apathy revolving around voting.
However, recently, and to rather limited fanfare, the federal government inked a free trade deal with Ukraine.
Free Trade deals with other countries are hardly new. Canada has been a signatory to several in recent years.
Such deals seem to fall into one of two categories: those which make a small headline and impact trade in limited ways, and those which set some rules which seem to be forever a matter for the parties to fight over in court.
A prime example of the latter would be the North American Free Trade Agreement. The deal was supposed to lessen the red tape in terms of trade flowing between Canada and its continental partners, with a primary eye of freeing trade with the United States.
What NAFTA has not done is stop a list of court cases still required to uphold the deal. The most recent example is Canada’s long battle through the courts to fight the negative impact Country Of Origin Labelling in the U.S. was having in terms of Canadian product moving south.
However, there is still potential in such deals.
The new free trade deal is with Ukraine, and while that might not sound like an economy stimulating deal in terms of building a stronger relationship with this trade partner, locally it just might create some opportunities.
Once it enters into force, Canada will drop most of its tariffs on Ukrainian imports while Ukraine will remove duties on some 80-90 per cent of Canadian imports, including those on industrial goods, forestry and wood products, fish and seafood products as well as most farm goods.
The Yorkton region, extending east to Dauphin still has a strong connection to Ukrainian roots for many.
That strong cultural tie means many here still read, write and speak Ukrainian, always a good starting point when meeting with someone from another country regarding trade.
The same roots mean family ties back to Ukraine which can also be the proverbial foot in the door.
In terms of economy, Ukraine is not so different from the Prairies. It was once the ‘bread basket’ of Europe, and the potential of agriculture in that country remains significant.
While the land remains, what is missing is the technology and expertise of modern farming, things lost to decades of Soviet influence and the vacuum left with their withdrawal.
Here we have much of what they need, in equipment from firms such as Morris Industries and Leon Manufacturing, through to expertise, whether that is how to roll oats, crush canola, feed cattle, or grow crops suited to a region with similar weather conditions.
The new trade deal should make it easier for business here to access niche markets in Ukraine, using the culture connection as a strong foundation on which to build lasting relationships.
It only means local entrepreneurs have to now take the initiative to use the new trade deal to expand their business, and with it bolster our local economy.
