The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that China has imposed a 75.8-per-cent duty on Canadian canola seed, intensifying a trade war between the two countries. The Globe's Kate Helmore writes that this decision follows Canada's high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and stems from a one-year anti-dumping investigation. China alleges Canada's agricultural sector is supported by market-distorting subsidies, while many in Canada view this as political retaliation. Ottawa intends to withhold concessions until it gets a reciprocal response from Beijing. Politicians and industry representatives in Western Canada, home to the country's canola industry with China as its largest market, urge a strong response to the trade dispute and seek financial aid for the sector. Canola seed can be processed at crush plants and the oil transformed into renewable diesel at refineries. The Canadian Canola Growers Assoc. is in talks with Alberta to raise the clean fuel content threshold. The demand would be met by a new Imperial Oil refinery that started producing renewable diesel in July. At full capacity, the facility has the ability to refine 2.5 million tonnes of canola seed, almost 50 per cent of the total exports to China.