New legislation aims to protect Canada’s dairy, poultry prices amid trade deals – National | 24CA News
Members of Parliament are rallying to bolster Canada’s system of defending dairy and poultry costs amid commerce offers, and counsel creating nations do the identical.
The House of Commons commerce committee is about to undertake its ultimate, detailed evaluation Thursday of a Bloc Quebecois invoice aimed toward tying commerce negotiators’ arms in order that new offers don’t chip away on the system that controls quotas and costs for sure industries.
Since 1972, Ottawa and the provinces have regulated the provision and value of eggs, dairy and poultry via steep tariffs on imports, with slight tweaks for commerce offers within the final decade which have drawn the ire of Canada’s highly effective agriculture foyer.
The laws would make it tougher for negotiators to provide floor on a system that proponents argue retains a secure provide of products and protects farms, however which detractors say drives up the price of grocery payments and results in farmers dumping thousands and thousands of litres of completely good milk.
In a Tuesday report, the House agriculture committee referred to as on Ottawa to additional defend the system, and to make use of it as a mannequin to “give vulnerable countries greater food sovereignty” by being much less reliant on imports.
The committee urged the federal authorities to “consider ways its international development programming can promote the exchange of lessons learned in the areas of production and price stability with farmers in developing countries.”
The concept stems from November testimony by Michael Fakhri, the UN particular rapporteur on the appropriate to meals. He famous poorer nations’ want for secure meals, which could be achieved by stockpiling meals and by manipulating its value available in the market.
“Canada has been really good at maintaining stable prices through systems of supply management,” he testified. “The Canadian experience is something that can be shared.”
Supply administration is extensively seen as a sacred cow in Canadian politics, with the agriculture sector utilizing its clout throughout the nation to push events to take care of the established order.
Conservative leaders who advocate for much less market intervention usually shrink back from altering provide administration, with present Leader Pierre Poilievre and former social gathering chief Andrew Scheer each arguing adjustments to the regime would harm farmers.
The laws aiming to guard provide managed sectors in commerce negotiations, Bill C-282, handed the Commons in second studying by a margin of 293 to 23, with these opposing the invoice consisting principally of Conservatives from the Prairies.
Lobbyists for the cattle and lentil industries have opposed the laws, saying it is going to make nations push for concessions in commerce offers that concentrate on agriculture sectors that aren’t beneath provide administration, notably those who depend on exporting commodities.
Trade Minister Mary Ng says her authorities helps the invoice, and performed down the concept of retaliation.
“I believe we are able to negotiate strong agreements that provide good market access for our Canadian exporters while we protect supply management at the same time,” she informed the House commerce committee final month.
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