A who’s who of agricultural groups was on Parliament Hill last week arguing for changes in trade dispute settlement rules.
They pleaded with the federal government to become more aggressive in using the rules to challenge trading and subsidy practices of other countries.
“We do think that Canada should be more active in the trade challenge front,” Bruce Saunders, first vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, told a House of Commons subcommittee.
“The Canadian government wants to be assured it will win if it launches a case,” Canadian Wheat Board vice-president Victor Jarjour told MPs. “The U.S. doesn’t care if it wins or not. They want to impede trade and if they win, it is a bonus.”
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Alberta Conservative MP Rick Casson said the industry has a point. Investments, including millions of dollars in feedlots in his Lethbridge riding, were made on the assumption there would be access to foreign markets under signed trade deals.
“Our government is not standing up strong enough to protect the investments that have been made,” he said.
In a later interview, Conservative leader Stephen Harper endorsed that view. He said government could have challenged aspects of the U.S. farm bill and the delays in opening the border after BSE.
“Our government has a weak country approach to everything,” he said. “And what do weak countries and weak people do? When they find themselves in a fight or facing people that are bigger than they are, instead of acting respectful and standing up for themselves, taking what action is reasonable but strong, they take no action but call them names.”
At the Senate agriculture committee Dec. 15,trade minister Jim Peterson responded to calls for a more aggressive Canadian stance by urging caution and arguing that Canada cannot afford a trade war with the Americans.
