A private member’s bill seeking to provide more protection to Canada’s agricultural sector in trade negotiations is proving to be the latest source of division between farmers and ranchers across the country.
The legislation, known as Bill C-282, made its way to committee to be studied last month. It would amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, forbidding the Canadian government from entering any trade deals that would adjust tariff rates or quotas for dairy, poultry and egg products — essentially taking those sectors off the table during trade talks.
The bill passed overwhelmingly in late February in the House of Commons with a vote of 293 to 23, before moving onto the international trade committee where it is currently being studied. It has garnered support from the dairy, poultry and egg sector that claim they have lost out on domestic market access due to recent trade deals. However, others representing producers who don’t belong to the supply management system say the legislation would put export-reliant agriculture at a tremendous disadvantage.
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