Latest news with #TradeandDevelopmentAct
Calgary Herald
24-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Grain Growers of Canada disappointed with Parliament for passing Bill C-202
Parliament's recent passing of Bill C-202, which takes supply-managed goods off the table in trade negotiations, poses 'serious risks' to the livelihoods of Canada's grain farmers, says the Grain Growers of Canada. Article content The bill, the first set to receive royal assent in the current Parliamentary session, amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, and is aimed at preventing 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. Article content Article content Article content Bloc Québécois MP Yves-François Blanchet had introduced the bill, saying it was aimed at protecting the entire supply management system. Article content Article content The House of Commons unanimously passed the bill earlier this month, and the Senate followed suit last week. Article content The Grain Growers of Canada said it was 'disappointed' that Bill C-202 was passed without 'thorough review and scrutiny,' without considering its effects on international trade and 'without regard' for the country's grain sector, which exports more than 70 per cent of what farmers grow. Article content 'Despite the government's stated commitment to growing Canada's economy and expanding international trade, the first bill passed by the 45th Parliament restricts our trade negotiators' ability to secure the best possible deals for Canadians,' said Kyle Larkin, GGC executive director, in a statement. Article content Article content Canada is currently seeking a new trade and security deal with the United States, and the Grain Growers of Canada notes the federal government is also pursuing a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Article content 'With critical trade negotiations and renegotiations ahead, including with our largest trading partner, the United States, passing Bill C-202 sends the wrong message internationally,' said Larkin. Article content 'For grain farmers who rely on access to international markets, the result will be less ambitious trade agreements, fewer export opportunities, and slower economic growth at home.' Article content Grain farmers export wheat, barley, canola, pulses and other commodities to more than 160 countries, generating more than $45 billion in export value each year, but Bill C-202 will undermine the sector's growth, says the Grain Growers of Canada.
Vancouver Sun
18-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
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. 'We won,' said Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet enthusiastically, hours after the Senate adopted his party's bill. 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. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 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. '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. 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. '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.' 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.' 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. '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. Parliament extensively studied an earlier version of the bill during the last legislature. A Senate committee heard from numerous witnesses, including government trade negotiators. 'From a trade negotiating perspective, the passage of the bill would certainly narrow the range of concessions that could be made to reach an agreement,' said Doug Forsyth, the director general of market access and trade controls bureau at Global Affairs Canada in a Senate testimony . 'I think it would be reasonable to expect future negotiating partners to adjust their own approach to negotiations with Canada,' he added. The previous version of this bill made headlines last fall when the Bloc threatened to bring down the Trudeau government if it wasn't passed alongside another bill. It was ultimately passed by nearly 80 per cent of the House of Commons in June 2023, despite opposition from some Conservative MPs. However, the Senate never passed it, due to prorogation and political maneuvering by two senators, Peter Boehm and Peter Harder. Harder was particularly opposed to the bill stating in 2024 that 'supply management has enjoyed religious-like devotion' in recent years. He also characterized the bill as 'both reckless and dangerous' that could 'do significant harm to Canada's interests.' 'I suppose congratulations are also in order for the strong dairy lobby because they played no small part in this. It's the same dairy lobby that is financed and operated on the backs of Canadians through supply-managed goods themselves,' he said at the time . In an interview with National Post on Wednesday, Sen. Harder said he believes the Senate's role is to defer to the elected legislature, even if he stood by his previous statements. 'I'm an institutionalist and I believe that the Senate should not hold itself in opposition to the House of Commons,' he said. In Quebec, the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), which represents roughly 42,000 Quebec farmers, celebrated the adoption of the bill, claiming 'dairy, egg, and poultry producers have long awaited this necessary and legitimate protection for their livelihood.' 'All parliamentarians and senators who supported this bill, as well as its previous versions, can congratulate themselves on having strengthened the country's food security,' said Martin Caron, the UPA president. With files from Simon Tuck Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Edmonton Journal
29-05-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
The Bloc Québécois strikes again to protect supply management
Article content OTTAWA — First there was Bill C-216, then C-282, and now C-202. The Bloc Québécois has, once again, introduced a private member's bill aimed at ensuring 'full protection for supply management' in trade agreements. The text of the bill has not yet been released, but the objective that was underlined in previous bills was 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.
