Member of Parliament for St. Albert-Edmonton Michael Cooper is defending his opposition to a bill that has received support from across the political spectrum.
Bill C-282 would prevent trade negotiators from interfering with the supply-management system that currently governs Canada’s dairy, egg and poultry industries.
Should the bill pass, it would stop trade negotiators in future international negotiations from altering the system of quotas and tariffs Canada uses to manage these farmed commodities.
“This bill needlessly constrains Canada's trade negotiators,” Cooper said. "Canada is a trading nation, and competitive access to global markets is crucial for economic growth and prosperity.”
The bill recently passed its third reading in the House of Commons, with 262 members voting in favour and 51 voting against the bill. It received majority support from Liberal and NDP members, but it also received a great deal of support from Conservatives.
“I don't believe that any sector of the economy should have the legislative protection to hold the Canadian government hostage as it negotiates future trade agreements,” Cooper said. “And this bill, as a result of doing that, would weaken the position of our trade negotiators to get a good deal for Canadians.”
He said past trade agreements have shown Canadian interests can be protected, including in supply-managed sectors.
“Having competitive access is key to growth and prosperity,” he said. "And this bill did receive a fair bit of opposition when it went to committee, as well as from other sectors.”
Proponents say the supply-management system not only supports dairy and poultry farmers by ensuring industry stability and protecting the industry from consolidating into a few large companies, but it also helps strengthen Canada’s sustainability commitments.
Dr. Jodey Nurse, a researcher at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said that the bill can “signal to farmers that the government is committed to [supply management].”
She pointed to Australia as an example of what can go wrong when governments abandon the practice.
“They were promised that there would be this growth in exports, and farmers would be able to capitalize on this export market,” she said. “They are producing much less milk, for example, and it’s devastated a lot of farms in those communities.”
Nurse said that supply management helps keep locally produced food in local markets, reduces food waste and cuts carbon emissions produced from exporting goods and raising more animals than is necessary.
“There’s a consistent refrain that if we had this free-market system, competition would allow for cheaper goods,” she said.
Canadians often look to the US and their ostensibly cheaper dairy products, according to Nurse.
But dairy prices vary widely across the US, the US government pays more in subsidies to their farmers, and the US has cheaper farm labour, she said.
Cooper said any future Conservative government would make sure supply-managed sectors are “engaged in any trade negotiations impacting their sector.”
"This is an unnecessary bill that frankly does more harm than good," Cooper said.
The bill is currently in its second reading in the Senate.
