A private member’s bill intended to keep supply management off the table in future trade negotiations has generated much debate as it works its way through Parliament.
Supply management proponents say Bill C-282 in its original form is necessary to protect their sector and won’t be the disaster that some predict.
Sectors of the agricultural industry that rely on exports predict the opposite.
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No matter what one thinks about supply management, the results of last week’s U.S. presidential election should make it crystal clear that this is not the time for this sort of legislation.
That’s why the amendment recently made by a Senate committee to soften the bill’s intent must be seen as a welcome development.
Make no mistake, the rulebook that Canada follows for getting along with its southern neighbour is about to be thrown out the window. The country went through this during the first Donald Trump presidency from 2017-21, and things could be more volatile this time around.
Plenty has been said about Trump’s campaign promise to swiftly impose a 60 per cent tariff on Chinese goods and at least a 10 per cent levy on all other imports. Some believe Trump will not take this drastic step, but one thing learned from his last administration is that the man usually does what he says he’ll do.
As a result, it is prudent to consider that a 10 to 20 per cent import tariff will be levied on goods from all countries, including Canada.
Just as worrisome for Canada is Trump’s black-and-white transactional way of looking at the world. He doesn’t believe in compromise. He just believes in winning.
This poses a major threat to Canadian industries, and agriculture will be no exception.
Both Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris had promised to turn the 2026 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement review into a full-blown renegotiation, and these talks will likely be more chaotic under Trump than they would have been under Harris.
Though it may hurt our national pride, the key thing to remember as we navigate a second Trump administration is that this country cannot be seen as an enemy to the U.S.
We may have to make more moves similar to what the federal government did this year with Chinese electric vehicle tariffs. Those tariffs, which kept Canada on the same side as the U.S., triggered China’s anti-dumping investigation against Canadian canola and are seen in some circles as hurting a western Canadian industry to save an eastern one.
However, we do not want the Americans to see Canada as a potential back door that a trade rival can use to thwart tariffs.
This was a real concern when engaging with U.S. president Joe Biden’s administration, and it will become doubly important with Trump.
His America First mantra isn’t just rhetoric. It’s likely to become concrete policy.
Canada can’t afford to wave red flags in front of an ever more dangerous bull, which is exactly what Bill C-282 in its original form would have done.
Deciding to weaken the bill does not mean abandoning supply management. Canada has done an admirable job of balancing the needs of the sector with the needs of exporters. When concessions were made, producers have been compensated.
It is more important than ever, over the next four years, to be flexible when dealing with the increasingly erratic giant to the south.
Parliamentarians need to recognize this in their work on Bill C-282.
Karen Briere, Bruce Dyck, Barb Glen, Michael Robin, Robin Booker and Laura Rance collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
