Try as they might, and they did, delegates to the National Farmers Union annual convention could not wring from the federal government a promise that no international trade deal will be signed if it undermines the Canadian Wheat Board or supply management.
In a Nov. 18 speech to the NFU, the first by a federal agriculture minister in years, Andy Mitchell repeated several times that the government is supporting the wheat board monopoly and supply management tariffs during World Trade Organization talks.
Wayne Easter, Mitchell’s parliamentary secretary and former NFU president, repeated the same position in a later speech to the convention.
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But farmers who lined up at the microphones were not interested in hearing what the government hopes happens. What will it do if the rest of the world doesn’t agree and insists on a WTO deal that outlaws state trading entity monopolies and reduces over-quota tariffs?
“Will you make a commitment that you will stand firm and that your government will not negotiate away any pillars of supply management?” said Prince Edward Island dairy farmer Randall Affleck.
Art Macklin, an Alberta farmer and former NFU president who is now a CWB director, warned Mitchell that Canada already has jeopardized these Canadian programs by signing a framework agreement last year that opens the possibility of across-the-board tariff cuts and future negotiations on the board monopoly.
“I was disappointed when you signed that framework,” said Macklin. “The Americans and EU will not back off. Will the government not sign any agreement that gets rid of supply management and the CWB?”
Mitchell repeated that Canada does not think the monopoly should be open to negotiation nor that supply management over-quota tariffs should be lowered. He did not make the commitment the NFU demanded.
However, the minister was well received at the convention. He was praised for promising to tackle chronic low farm incomes, for commissioning the Easter report on the issue and for launching a review of federal government science policy.
“My role is to be your advocate in government, that’s what I do,” said Mitchell.
He also said that when new biotechnology processes or products are developed, government assessment and regulation should move beyond the traditional scientific review of safety and efficacy and also include more political “socio-economic factors.”
NFU women’s president Colleen Ross had challenged Mitchell to refuse licensing of the so-called terminator gene.
Mitchell said it is important there be a science-based decision on the product.
“However, beyond that, there is a socio-economic debate necessary about the use of that technology and I would welcome that debate.”
