How powerful is the dairy lobby

[Ronski]

Remember when the Bloq wanted to raise CPP back in October and the Liberals wouldn't go along? I wondered why they cared about the rest of Canada vs just Quebec so looked into it. It wasn't mentioned much in the headines but they also wanted supply management excluded from any future trade negotiations in bill C-282. (a private members bill but strongly supported by the party)

When I was in college back in 1991-93 we were told the supply management systems days were numbered due to unfair trade/market access and the USA hated it. GATT was supposed to be the end of it but here we are 30 years later with fewer quota holders but still with huge influence.

I think Americans (not just Trump) want access to the Canadian market and will push hard. Under the current administration they don't care about what's fair, just what they feel will benefit their country (it's the American way actually).

We will have to wait and see just how much power a small, influential lobby mostly benefiting Quebec has vs the rest of the country.

Any thoughts?

[Marusko]

powerful within Canada

but you've heard the expression "give an inch and they'll take a mile" ??

We (Canada) gave an inch to the Trump administration in NAFTA 2.0 (CUSMA/USMCA/whatever), get ready for the mile to be taken in NAFTA 3.0

I know the dairy quota has its pitfalls BUT ... you know how hard it is to buy Canadian these days? Try to buy a Canadian-made cell phone, car parts, fruit, etc etc.... So much of the money we spend in Canada is done at American owned companies who buy the materials, parts, etc from Asia, maybe slap it together at a plant in the US, and sell to us and skim their fat margin off the top. Supply management, to its credit, secures a part of our economy within our borders.

Regardless of whether you like or dislike Donald Trump, keep in mind that anything his administration does is to benefit THEM (his friends and the US) and NOT us.

[littledoggie]

Howard Lutnick, nominated as Secretary of Commerce, said there will be a review of tariffs on dairy products after studies come out in March/April. They feel that Canada treats their dairy farmers horribly.

I guess we are about to find out just how powerful the dairy lobby is.



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