Debate sought | Protectionism is not buying goodwill in rural Canada, says delegate
Ted Haney, former Canada Beef Export Federation president and a federal Liberal candidate from Calgary, went to last weekend’s national Liberal convention in Ottawa with one major goal in mind.
He wanted to jog the party into rethinking its rigid support of protectionist supply management that he thinks undermines Canada’s ability to negotiate free trade deals for export-oriented Canadian farm sectors.
“My challenge to the Liberal party is to commit fully to liberalized trade and to reduce tariffs,” Haney said Jan. 13 during a private session between delegates and Liberal MPs.
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“Protectionism is not bringing us votes. It is not buying us goodwill in most of rural Canada.”
The response from Liberal politicians at the session during the party’s national biennial convention in Ottawa was that while the Liberal party supports free trade, it also stands by supply management with its triple digit tariff protections for dairy, poultry and egg producers.
“We are very much in favour of trade liberalization,” said party trade critic Wayne Easter. “We haven’t favoured protectionism.”
Yet as agriculture critic, Easter was a fervent supporter of protectionist supply management.
Ontario MP Frank Valeriote, the party’s agriculture critic, reinforced the Liberal support for supply management. He said leader Bob Rae will reinforce that support during a Jan. 31 meeting with the leaders of Canada’s five supply management agencies.
Liberal speakers said during the conference that the Conservative government will target supply management once the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly has been destroyed. They vowed to defend it.
“This is part of the Liberal legacy in Canada, it is a successful policy and we will defend it while promoting trade,” Valeriote said in an interview.
Haney, who persisted in his demands for a clear Liberal declaration on liberalized trade throughout the convention, said in an interview he did not expect to trigger a party shift quickly.
“But I want to see the party debate this,” he said. “I admire the supply management people and the system they have created because it is profitable. Monopolies are profitable. But I believe we have to make an unequivocal commitment to trade liberalization and not the qualified commitment we always make. Protectionism cannot be qualified with support for protection.”
Easter said the issue has raised debate within the Liberal party, but it remains firm in its “balanced position” of supporting liberalized trade for Canadian exports and protection for Canadian sectors that are import-sensitive.
“Every country has its sensitive sectors and defends them,” he said. “We are no different.”
The Conservative government holds the same “balanced position” view and vows support for supply management during free trade negotiations.
