A New Democrat MP has accused the Conservative government of making empty promises about protecting supply management and the Canadian Wheat Board at world trade talks while refusing to take action.
Conservatives denied the charge and accused their critic of grandstanding.
The dispute came after NDP trade critic Peter Julian proposed that given its promises to protect orderly marketing systems from World Trade Organization proposals that would undermine them, the Conservative government should inform the WTO that Canada would not sign a deal containing the offensive proposals.
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Julian told the House of Commons international trade committee Nov. 3 that the motion reflects what trade minister Stockwell Day has told the committee he would do.
However, Conservative MPs on the committee defeated the NDP motion, opting instead to support a motion from Liberal Scott Brison pledging to continue defending the integrity of the supply management system at the WTO.
Julian said in an interview the Conservative vote casts doubt on the sincerity of their pledges to protect Canadian marketing boards.
“The Conservatives are willing to mouth the words but not to take action to put those words into effect,” he said.
“If they would refuse to accept a deal that undermines supply management, then let the WTO know this is a deal-breaker.”
In a later news release, he said the Conservatives cannot be trusted on the issue.
“The Conservative government trumpets its support for supply management in Canada, but its actions and omissions at the WTO talks take us in the opposite direction.”
Nova Scotia Conservative Gerald Keddy, parliamentary secretary to Day, said in an interview Julian was trying to hijack the committee for partisan reasons.
The government has made clear it will not sign a deal that weakens supply management protections or ends the wheat board monopoly, he said.
“This has already been decided,” he said. “We are not going to give away supply management, period.”
Keddy said Conservatives voted against the Julian motion to “reaffirm our total disgust at attempts to hijack the committee by raising issues that have already been decided.”
During an Oct. 8 committee meeting, Julian pressed Day on what Canada would do if it cannot convince other countries to drop proposals that undermine marketing boards.
“The government will not sign agricultural provisions that do not fully protect supply management?” Julian said.
“Absolutely,” Day replied. “We have been very clear on that.”
Sumo negotiators
He picked up on a comparison that Julian had made between trade negotiations and sumo wrestling.
“At any time, the sumo wrestler can step out of the ring and the match is over. I would hate to think we would get to a place where we would not be able to negotiate around this.”
He said the same applies to the CWB. While the Conservatives oppose the board’s export monopoly for wheat and barley, it wants the decision on its future to be made in Canada rather than in Geneva.
“We’ve said we respect what might be tabled or suggested in Geneva, but we make the decisions on the Canadian Wheat Board,” Day said.
