Senate passes bill to protect supply management from any future trade deals
OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois' long and often rocky road to protect supply management from any concessions in future trade negotiations has come to a successful end. The Senate has adopted Bill C-202, making it the first bill set to receive royal assent in the new session of Parliament.
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'We won,' said Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet enthusiastically, hours after the Senate adopted his party's bill.
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C-202 sought to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to prevent the minister from 'making a commitment' that would increase the tariff rate quota for dairy, poultry, or eggs in trade negotiations. It would also prevent tariff reductions on these products when they are imported in excess.
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The Bloc wanted to strengthen the long-standing federal government policy to maintain Canada's supply management system, including its production control, pricing mechanisms and import controls.
The House of Commons unanimously passed the bill last week and the Senate did so 'with division' on Tuesday evening.
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'The notion of unanimity really weighed heavily. It was all parties and the unanimity of elected officials. So, everyone who speaks for Canadians and Quebecers was in favour,' Blanchet said at a press conference.
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Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron has been championing this bill for over five years. In an interview with the National Post, Perron expressed his pride.
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'We have just demonstrated that the Bloc Québécois serves a purpose. I think we are capable of moving forward on issues and on a scale that is extremely positive for Quebec, but also positive for the rest of Canada,' he said. 'And the rest of Canada has finally understood this.'
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But the Grain Growers of Canada argued that 'Parliament chose to prioritize one group of farmers over another,' while the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance said it was 'deeply concerned' by the adoption of 'a flawed piece of legislation that sets a troubling precedent, undermining Canada's longstanding commitment to the rules-based international trading system.'
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Even if the Senate passed the bill, many senators still had some reservations on Tuesday. In a speech in the Senate, Alberta Sen. Paula Simons expressed concerns about what Bill C-202 means for national unity because it was from a Bloc MP, which advocates for the separation of Quebec from the rest of Canada.
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'It does seem strange to allow a separatist party to set Canada's national trade policy to such an extent, and at the expense of Western Canadian producers and agricultural exporters,' she said.
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