Canada’s most influential big business lobby, led by a former Liberal deputy prime minister, is counselling the majority Harper government to get rid of agricultural marketing single desks.
The Canadian Wheat Board monopoly and supply management marketing boards, which exist for dairy, poultry and egg producers, are specific targets.
The letter to prime minister Stephen Harper is from Canadian Council of Chief Executives president John Manley, who was finance minister and deputy Liberal prime minister a decade ago. He urged the Conservatives to use their new majority to become more aggressive in promoting trade and in particular, completion of the World Trade Organization Doha Round negotiation that started in 2001.
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“Our economy relies heavily on the multilateral trading system and for that reason we strongly hope that your government will work toward a successful conclusion to the WTO’s Doha Development Agenda by the end of this year,” wrote Manley.
“As a demonstration of Canada’s strong commitment to trade liberalization, we endorse your plan to reform the marketing practices of the Canadian Wheat Board.”
The Conservatives campaigned on abolishing the CWB single desk for wheat and barley.
However, they have yet to indicate how quickly they will move on that commitment.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives have been clear that they support the protectionist supply management system that is politically popular in Quebec and Ontario.
Manley wrote May 6 that supply management is incompatible with the Conservative promise of liberalized trade and more competitive Canadian industries.
“Consistent with that, we believe the time is right to phase out the national supply management systems for eggs, dairy products and poultry, which penalize consumers and have seriously damaged our country’s reputation as a champion of open markets,” said the CCCE letter.
It was published too close to deadline to seek explanation from the chief executives’ lobby and reaction from the farm lobby and the reelected Conservative government, which has yet to announce its new cabinet including trade and agriculture ministers.
