Supply management systems provide high quality, locally produced food at stable, reasonable prices for consumers.
This is not due to supply management. The same is true for our locally produced beef, corn, pork, grain, pulses, none of which get this rich protection. And to call dairy prices…
We can’t compete with the heavily subsidized U.S. dairy producers.
It is true that the U.S. used to subsidize dairy heavily – but no more. In fact, the U.S. has in recent years dramatically reduced its own subsidization of dairy. According to…
Supply management isn’t a government subsidy.
It most certainly is. Government regulation is what protects the cartel, ensuring a subsidy that is paid for by all Canadians, as consumers instead of taxpayers, via artificially high dairy prices. All…
The U.S. maintains a large surplus in dairy trade with Canada.
Actually, this isn’t a myth, but it is extremely misleading. It is a useful soundbite for supporters and politicians. Between 2010 and 2016, U.S. exports into Canada of ultra-filtered milk did indeed…
Supply management helps “Canadian agriculture.”
Wrong again. It actually hurts the majority of Canadian farmers, including beef, pork, grain, oilseed and pulse producers, who would benefit from more global trade – many of whom right now are…
It doesn’t affect Canada’s trade negotiations – see how many trade deals we’ve signed?
Of course we have signed trade deals, but in protecting supply management we have always had to sacrifice on other things. As is abundantly clear with the U.S. right now, every trade…
We can’t compete with our colder climate.
It defies logic to claim that the climate in southern Quebec is different from immediately across the border in New York or Vermont. Note that most of the major dairy state of…
There are no export opportunities; the global milk market is suffering a major glut.
As with all commodities, global prices fluctuate. There has been a recent slowdown, due to a number of factors, including a Russian ban on dairy imports from various countries and the discontinuation…
Putting a price on pollution is a new, untested idea
Pollution pricing and carbon pricing are proven ideas that have worked for decades. The U.S. reduced pollution that causes acid rain by 34% in 14 years by putting a price on it.…
Only very high carbon prices are effective
People and businesses respond to price changes-even low ones. B.C.’s carbon tax, which grew from $10 to $35 per tonne over 10 years, has lowered both per-capita gasoline and natural gas use…
