QUESTION PERIOD — Agriculture and Agri-Food
Compensation for Supply Managed Food Producers
February 18, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
International trade deals have been signed and promises have been made by this government to many industries across Canada. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, also known as CPTPP, have been ratified and have already come into force. Our supply-managed sectors have taken hit after hit after hit from this government. Compensation and mitigation packages have been paid to some supply-managed sectors, yet others are still waiting for promises to be fulfilled by this government.
Under the CPTPP, the government committed to full and fair compensation for supply-managed farmers. However, chicken farmers and dairy processors are still awaiting their mitigation packages as a result of the CPTPP trade deal. Now I hear concerns from dairy processors regarding the coming-into-force date for CUSMA — the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement — and the effects it will have on their industry.
My question is this, Senator Gold: Will the government get moving on the CPTPP compensation as previously promised, and will they ensure that compensation and mitigation packages are provided in a timely fashion after CUSMA is ratified, while ensuring that the coming-into-force date does not negatively affect this sector once again?
I thank the honourable senator very much for his question.
Again, your concerns are important and I’m sure they are shared by all. Our supply-managed sectors are important economic drivers generally and a source of livelihood for so many families across the country. The dairy, poultry and egg sectors contribute approximately $30 billion annually to our GDP, sustaining 340,000 jobs or so.
Regarding the CPTPP, the Trans-Pacific agreement, it goes without saying that complex trade agreements such as that will never satisfy every sector or every individual. However, I’m advised that the government remains firmly and fully committed to fairly and fully supporting farmers, including its budget commitment in 2019 for up to $2.15 billion in direct compensation for Canadian egg, dairy and poultry farmers to offset the impacts that they will suffer from both the Trans-Pacific pact and CETA.
Having had some advance warning — or notice, I should say — of your question, I did ask the responsible minister for information on the timing of the compensation because that’s of critical importance to those still waiting for it. Unfortunately, I have not received the information in time to share it with you now.
Allow me to cite the president of the board of directors of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. He said this with regard to Budget 2019:
The federal government recognizes the impact of trade agreements on our sector and is following through on its commitment to support our domestic dairy industry.
And so I’m assured by the government that they remain fully committed to ensure that the Trans-Pacific compensation packages are done in a timely fashion.
The latter part of your question referred, of course, to CUSMA. I have been advised by the government that the timely ratification of CUSMA is not only important but is considered to be critical and in the national interest. I will make inquiries of the government and would be pleased to report back to the chamber in due course. Thank you.
