(CTV.ca – The Canadian Press)
Canada’s minister of state for agriculture says Ottawa will defend the supply management system of dairy and poultry products in any free trade talks with the European Union.
Jean-Pierre Blackburn won’t be taking part in the next round of talks between Canada and its second largest trading partner – he’ll be in the Netherlands commemorating Canada’s contribution to that country’s liberation in the Second World War. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of International Trade Peter Van Loan will be among the federal politicians in Brussels for the Canada-EU summit on May 5. But Blackburn weighed-in on the talks and said the federal government remains committed to backing its dairy and poultry industries.
“There is a need for new markets for the food sector like any other sector,” he told The Canadian Press. “But at the same time we know some specific aspects have to be protected.” He said supply management allowed dairy and poultry industries to remain among the most profitable and stable in Canada. Read more here.
Showing posts with label Supply Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Supply Management. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Supply Management Hurting Major Transpacific Trade Opportunity: Experts
(Embassy – Laura Payton)
Eight Asia-Pacific countries will meet in March to negotiate a trade agreement as Canada sits on the sideline
Even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper works to turn Canada’s diplomatic and economic focus more towards Asia, the government may have missed out on a key chance to shape a new and expanding transpacific trade agreement. And experts say a major reason may have been Canada’s ongoing insistence on protecting supply management.
The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement, or TPP, began as a four-country Pacific free trade agreement that came into force in 2006. Initially it encompassed only New Zealand, Chile, Brunei and Singapore. However, those countries want to expand to more markets. Canada could have joined years ago, but has so far remained on the sidelines while its major competitors jump on board. Read more here.
Eight Asia-Pacific countries will meet in March to negotiate a trade agreement as Canada sits on the sideline
Even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper works to turn Canada’s diplomatic and economic focus more towards Asia, the government may have missed out on a key chance to shape a new and expanding transpacific trade agreement. And experts say a major reason may have been Canada’s ongoing insistence on protecting supply management.
The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement, or TPP, began as a four-country Pacific free trade agreement that came into force in 2006. Initially it encompassed only New Zealand, Chile, Brunei and Singapore. However, those countries want to expand to more markets. Canada could have joined years ago, but has so far remained on the sidelines while its major competitors jump on board. Read more here.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Balancing Act Between Free Trade and Supply Management Politics
(Embassy – Laura Payton)
Canada’s policies keep some farmers profitable, but could threaten export opportunities for other agricultural sectors
As negotiators prepare to begin talks with the European Union on the biggest economic agreement Canada has undertaken in decades, the government has already taken a big bargaining chip off the table. The message seems clear: supply management is not up for debate.
Only a handful of Canadian agriculture sectors – dairy, eggs and egg-hatching, chicken and turkey – are supply managed. Supply management assigns quotas to producers, managing production and keeping farmers profitable. However, it also keeps prices high for consumers and, most importantly from a bargaining perspective, represents a major barrier to foreign imports.
For a government that champions free trade and lowering barriers, the position seems dissonant. But because the farms that benefit from supply management are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, where the majority of House of Commons seats are also concentrated, politicians of all stripes are loathe to mess with it. In fact, in 2005, members of Parliament went as far as to adopt an all-party motion instructing Canadian negotiators at the World Trade Organization not to budge on supply management. Read more here.
Canada’s policies keep some farmers profitable, but could threaten export opportunities for other agricultural sectors
As negotiators prepare to begin talks with the European Union on the biggest economic agreement Canada has undertaken in decades, the government has already taken a big bargaining chip off the table. The message seems clear: supply management is not up for debate.
Only a handful of Canadian agriculture sectors – dairy, eggs and egg-hatching, chicken and turkey – are supply managed. Supply management assigns quotas to producers, managing production and keeping farmers profitable. However, it also keeps prices high for consumers and, most importantly from a bargaining perspective, represents a major barrier to foreign imports.
For a government that champions free trade and lowering barriers, the position seems dissonant. But because the farms that benefit from supply management are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, where the majority of House of Commons seats are also concentrated, politicians of all stripes are loathe to mess with it. In fact, in 2005, members of Parliament went as far as to adopt an all-party motion instructing Canadian negotiators at the World Trade Organization not to budge on supply management. Read more here.
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