Canadian Pork Council president Clare Schlegel doesn’t have to give it a second thought when asked if the Democratic Party’s capture of the United States Congress in November elections has raised trade worries in the export-dependent industry.
“Yes,” he responds quickly.
“Market access is everything and there still are significant barriers around the world for meat being trade,” the southern Ontario producer said in an interview.
“The Democrats are generally considered to be less trade friendly.”
Schlegel said it could have an impact on whether World Trade Organization talks are revived. A Democratic Congress is likely less willing to push the talks since more open markets and lower subsidies could put them at odds with domestic farm and labour interests.
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Then there is the issue of the border that separates Canada from the U.S.
“The concept of an integrated North American marketplace was getting a lot of traction in the U.S. under the Republican regime,” he said. “I’m not sure what the reaction will be under the Democrats. They are by nature a bit more protectionist.
“They talk about fair trade, not free trade, so you have to keep an eye on countervail and anti-dumping sentiment in the U.S. if they feel Canada has an advantage over them and then they resort to measures that can hurt us.”
The pork council also is critical of the federal government for not more aggressively pursuing bilateral trade deals that give Canadian pork better access to key markets.
With WTO talks stalled and the industry dependent on exporting 60 percent of its pro-duction, Schlegel said the government must become more active.
“We are being left behind and we really do need to broaden our trade strategy to look beyond just the WTO, important as we think that is,” said Schlegel.
While the U.S. is pursuing many bilateral deals that give it preferred access into some key markets, Canada has done little in the past decade and is pursuing just one potential deal with South Korea.
However, a number of Canadian sectors including beef and the auto industry opposed a deal with the Asian country.
The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance also is not a fan.
The alliance cautions that bilateral deals undermine the commitment to multilateral trade deals but do not deliver as much. Bilateral agreements typically dwell on access and trade barrier issues while WTO talks also deal with trade and production-distorting domestic policies.
Trade minister David Emerson has said he agrees that Canada needs a broader trade strategy that includes a more energetic pursuit of bilateral deals.
However, there has been little obvious progress since the Conservatives took government in February and Emerson became trade minister.
