The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Aug. 19, edition that China's 75.8-per-cent anti-dumping tariff on Canadian canola seeds is more than a trade dispute; it is a clear act of economic coercion. The Globe's guest columnist Vina Nadjibulla writes that this move, timed just after Canadian and Chinese discussions, is designed to apply pressure ahead of the canola harvest and create domestic political division. China's provisional canola tariff allows for a potential rollback, but only with concessions from Ottawa. This familiar tactic poses a significant risk. In 2019, China stopped importing Canadian canola seeds due to Canada detaining Huawei's Meng Wanzhou, resulting in billions in losses for Prairie farmers and exporters. Other democracies have also experienced China's use of trade as a geopolitical weapon, facing selective and strategic punishments when Beijing is displeased. China's tariffs on canola producers just before harvest target the economic lifeblood of the Prairies. This move aims to create tension between Western farmers and Ontario and Quebec's auto sector, which relies on maintaining tariffs on Chinese EVs. It is a strategic effort to undermine Canada's unity and pressure Ottawa into retreating.