OTTAWA – Last week, the House of Commons echoed with its first debate about creating new supply management marketing boards in a post-North American Free Trade Agreement world.
The judgment from both the Liberal government and the Reform opposition was blunt: not a chance.
The debate centred on a proposal by Saskatchewan New Democrat MP Vic Althouse that legislation be approved allowing potato farmers to form a national marketing agency if they want.
It is a proposal that Althouse has made in the form of a private member’s bill three times in the past six years. As usual last week, the idea was dropped from the parliamentary agenda without a vote.
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The reasons for rejecting it this time sounded the death knell for any future attempts by farmers to give themselves market bargaining power by organizing a system that controls imports, production and prices.
“Our government is a promoter of free trade,” said Lyle Vanclief, parliamentary secretary to federal agriculture minister Ralph Goodale.
“A quota system for the marketing of potatoes would only erect more barriers to trade in Canada and with our trading partners.”
Saskatchewan Liberal MP Bernie Collins said any such scheme to restrict imports “could be subject to challenge by our trading partners.”
MPs also argued that the potato industry, with growing export market opportunities, does not need a restrictive marketing scheme. They said farmers are no longer interested in the marketing board idea.
Potato farmers tried several times in the 1980s to organize a national marketing scheme. The proposal was challenged by processors and derailed.
