When federal agriculture minister Bob Speller took the podium at the Dairy Farmers of Canada convention Feb. 3 to pledge support for the supply management system, his words created an instant buzz in the room.
“I want to tell you on behalf of not only myself and my caucus colleagues, but particularly the prime minister of this country that we are one party that will be there 100 percent behind supply management,” said Speller. “Not only in talk but I want to assure you in action also.”
Chatter and some laughter greeted the comments in the room, since a year earlier, former minister Lyle Vanclief had used the same meeting podium to declare himself 1,000 percent behind supply management.
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“That’s quite a slippage in support,” one dairy delegate joked later.
The laughter ended later when the new minister said he could not promise that high over-quota tariffs will be protected from cuts in the current round of World Trade Organization talks.
Speller insisted that in the face of challenges at the WTO over Canada’s access restrictions and high tariff protection, he will be firm.
“It’s an area that I take very seriously and one that I will defend with all my power and one that I believe is one of the best systems in the world for farmers.”
However, the delegates wanted more than rhetorical assurances of support. How would he defend Canada’s tariffs at WTO talks? What are his specific plans to protect the industry?
The new minister conceded that it will be “a challenge” to win WTO agreement that Canada’s over-quota tariffs not be lowered, which is what dairy farmers demand.
He noted that when supply management over-quota tariffs were established in 1994, the expectation by many countries was that future negotiations would centre on lowering them.
“That reality is still there,” he said. “We will continue to fight for access. We want access and I will continue to fight for supply management.”
