The Bloc Québécois urges Prime Minister Mark Carney not to sacrifice dairy farmers during his trade negotiations with Washington, which are intensifying as new tariffs are set to take effect.
Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet called on Carney to “keep his word” and “pledge not to make any concessions,” noting that the premier himself had committed to protecting the supply management system.
“This has to stop—the compromises on supply management. It’s the dairy farmers’ small profit margins that are constantly being sacrificed,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Several media outlets have indeed reported that Canada may be open to making certain concessions regarding the dairy sector.
A source familiar with the ongoing negotiations—but not authorized to speak publicly on the matter—told The Canadian Press that Ottawa had told the provinces not to expect major changes to the supply management system.
However, Canada could expand access to the U.S. market under the current terms, the source said.
For Blanchet, this would amount to making “yet another sacrifice to Donald Trump.”
“If you have to make a deal to change another deal, you’ve just created a loophole in supply management,” he declared, noting that Parliament unanimously passed a law last year aimed at fully protecting supply management from any trade negotiations.
Not the first time
Blanchet pointed out that Ottawa has already conceded a percentage of supply management quotas to Asia, Europe, and the United States during previous trade negotiations.
“On supermarket shelves in Quebec, we’ve already been forced to sacrifice a lot of shelf space—which would have gone to our cheese producers—in favor of thousands of metric tons of European cheese,” he emphasized.
“Add to that a percentage of American cheese—which would be cheaper because it’s produced in large volumes but of lower quality—and that would further push, for example, Quebec cheese or Quebec yogurt off the shelves.”
Last week, Canadian dairy producers also warned the federal government against making any concessions regarding their sector, asserting that “our food sovereignty is not for sale” and that a bad deal “isn’t worth the cost.”
On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to Carney to stress that the government must “stop making concessions.” And on Monday, Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette reiterated that supply management is one of the “non-negotiable” issues.
Last Thursday, Carney stated that his government remains committed to the supply management system.
Discussions continue
Negotiations between Canada and the United States have intensified in recent weeks, especially since Washington announced its intention to impose new 50 per cent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian products starting Aug. 19.
Over the past two weeks, the Canadian trade team has met twice with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Canada’s top trade negotiators will once again be in Washington this week for further meetings with the Trump administration.
The supply management system, which protects the Canadian dairy sector, has been cited by the United States as a major sticking point in the negotiations.
Milk, like eggs, chicken, and turkey, is subject to this system, which involves managing the production of an agricultural product so that it meets the needs of the Canadian market.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
Add CityNews Montreal as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
