It’s more common for private member’s bills to make more headway in a minority government, such as the one Canada currently has. Several of these kinds of bills are making their way through parliament right now, and some of them have the potential to not only significantly impact agriculture but also Canada’s trade relationships as a whole.
One such bill, Bill C-282, has been getting more attention as of late as the Bloc Quebecois has made it one of their conditions in supporting the Liberal party past the end of October. Bill C-282 would amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act and make granting access to Canada’s supply managed sectors off limits in future trade negotiations.
The fact that 90 percent of Canadian agriculture trades on an open, global market while only 10 percent is covered under supply management has Nathan Phinney of the Canadian Cattle Association questioning why this bill is still at play.
In the interview below, Phinney and RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney discuss how this bill isn’t as clear cut as saying who supports supply management and who doesn’t, and the impact of such a bill on Canada’s trade relationships with other countries would be a disaster.
Bill C-355 and Bill C-293 are two other bills that are drawing a lot of attention on social media and in parliament currently. Bill C-355, which if passed would prohibit the export of horses for slaughter by air and Bill C-293, a bill regarding pandemic prevention and preparedness that promotes plant-based proteins and phasing-out “industrial animal agriculture” are both emotion-based bills, says Phinney.
“For a trading country like Canada that relies heavily on exports to keep our economy strong, we cannot continue to allow these private member bills that are based on nothing short of personal preference or emotion to make their way to where they are,” says Phinney.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | All Podcasts
