Ottawa, ON –Dan Darling, President of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) today issued the statement below on the upcoming vote in the House of Commons regarding Bill C-282: An Act to Amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management). “CAFTA members, who represent 90% of Canadian farmers, as well as agri-food exporters, urge all Members of Parliament to put Canadians first by voting against Bill C-282 this evening. By not doing so, MPs will be choosing to entrench protectionism as official Canadian trade policy.
“Our message is clear: no single sector of Canada’s economy should have the legislative authority to hold Canadians hostage. The passage of this bill provides no tangible benefits to Canadians while risking our economic growth, international reputation, and key trading relationships–both current and future.
“Successive Canadian governments have shown the ability to negotiate ambitious trade deals while protecting domestic interests. For a trade-dependent nation like Canada, it is incomprehensible to allow narrow, short-sighted politics to reverse course on the public policy success we’ve accomplished through free and open trade, which today supports 1 in 3 Canadian jobs.
“If this Bill becomes law, Canada’s credibility as a champion for rules-based, free and open trade will be lost. We cannot have it both ways, advocating for other countries to open trade while we enacting protectionist laws here at home.
“Simply put, Bill C-282 is a political solution to a fabricated problem. CAFTA calls on all MPs to stand up for Canadians and for free-trade by rejecting this bill at third reading.”