OTTAWA – Canadian politicians last week urged calm, silence and patience in the face of suggestions from Washington that whatever the outcome of a trade panel in November, the U.S. plans to blast its way into Canada’s protected dairy, poultry and egg markets.
At a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S. trade spokesperson Ira Shapiro was quoted as saying that even if the free trade dispute panel rules as expected against the U.S., the fight will continue.
“We will find other ways to press for and try to negotiate tariff-free access,” he said. “We’re looking for an open system.”
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In Ottawa government MPs, confident the November trade panel report will mirror the interim July report in favor of Canada’s position, said a response to the American threats would be pointless.
“It is a U.S. election year,” noted Southern Ontario MP Jerry Pickard. “There is a process under way which is not political. What would it benefit us to react and raise the temperature? I see that as counterproductive.”
Canada’s agriculture minister Ralph Goodale said the Americans are issuing idle threats.
“The Americans just keep coming back and coming back and coming back when they have a proposition that they want to advance,” he said.
“We will have to be equally diligent … to make absolutely certain that we are just as vigorous and just as aggressive in defending our position.”
Integrity undermined
According to Reuters News Agency, Shapiro also suggested the interim report which accepted the legality of Canada’s protective dairy, poultry and egg tariffs was leaked to the media by Canada.
He complained the leak of a supposedly confidential report undermined the integrity of the NAFTA trade disputes process.
In Ottawa, that is an unbelievable claim. Canadian farm groups, politicians and bureaucrats have been adamant since July that they will not talk about the interim report.
In fact, it was reports out of Washington within hours of the July 15 report that first revealed the result.
Last week, there was another indication of the different attitude in the two capitals.
Even as the congressional committee in Washington was opening its public hearing into the implications of the North American Free Trade Agreement panel decision, the Canadian Commons agriculture committee decided to avoid the issue.
Hearings can be held, and public comments can be made, only after the final decision is public, said Commons committee chair Lyle Vanclief.
