The Senate committee on foreign affairs and international trade appears to be staying the course on Bill C-282, despite pressure to move it along quicker.
International trade minister Mary Ng and others wrote to the committee last month, twice asking it to expedite the bill that would protect supply managed sectors in future trade talks.
Passing it is part of a package of conditions imposed by the Bloc Quebecois to prevent an early election. The deadline was Oct. 29. However, clause-by-clause consideration is still scheduled for the first week in November, and the committee planned to hear from more witnesses Oct. 30.
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Committee chair Peter Boehm has been clear about that plan. In an Oct. 21 letter to Ng and MPs from the Bloc, NDP and Green Party, he said the committee is taking its work seriously. He said private member’s bills don’t receive priority in the Senate.
“The committee is following the work plan that was approved by the steering committee and subsequently shared with all committee members on Sept. 9,” he wrote.
“It is important to note that Bill C-282 did not draw the current attention of the government nor that of others who have criticized the committee — and, in particular, the committee’s deputy chair, senator Peter Harder, and me — until the Bloc Québécois levelled its ultimatum at the government on Sept. 25, the same day the committee began its study of Bill C-282.”
The bill has divided Canadian agricultural interests. Exporters of major commodities say it would hamstring negotiators, but others say supply management needs protection.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture supports the bill.
“To suggest that supply management is a barrier to expanding free trade is just simply not accurate, and the merits of this bill need to be assessed on the basis of its anticipated real-world implications,” said president Keith Currie during committee testimony.
He said Canada has 15 free trade agreements with 51 countries but gave up significant concessions in the last three, which have reduced supply managed markets.
“The reality is that Canada needs both supply managed and export-oriented producers to succeed. We have seen for decades that both systems can successfully co-exist while continuing to negotiate ambitious and forward-looking trade agreements,” Currie said.
Grain Growers of Canada executive director Kyle Larkin spoke against the bill. He said Canada exported 55 million tonnes of grain and grain products to more than 150 countries in 2023, generating $40 billion worth of export value.
“Simply put, this bill poses a significant threat to Canada’s ability to secure and expand access to international markets,” he said.
The Canadian Cattle Association is also opposed.
“I’m shocked that we are here today to discuss a private member’s bill that should have never made it this far, all because of politics. Trade is not a political game. This is my livelihood,” said president Nathan Phinney.
He said Bill C-282 at its core is bad trade policy.
On a recent trip to the United States, Phinney said he heard how the bill would create unnecessary tension. State officials and stakeholders raised concern about the future trading relationship, he said.
“Canada needs to look beyond the next Canadian election and look long term at our export potential,” Phinney said.
Former chief Canadian trade negotiator Ian Burney said the bill sends the wrong message to trading partners.
“In my opinion, Bill C-282 is an ill-conceived and deeply flawed proposal that has no discernible upside, yet carries very real risks to Canadian interests,” he said.
Burney said the largest risk is stirring up a hornet’s nest in the U.S. It would also put negotiators in a “legislative straight jacket,” he added.
