Findlay says supply management “indefensible”

Martha Hall Findlay, the first elected Canadian politician to oppose supply management for the dairy and poultry industries and now president of the Canada West Foundation, says the system is “indefensible”.

In an opinion piece for the Globe and Mail, she says Canada is a big loser by sticking with the system – losing export opportunities, losing efficiencies and costing consumers higher food prices.

“In recent years Australia, New Zealand – and yes, the United States – have either eliminated or drastically reduced dairy subsidies, and taken advantage of growing global opportunities for their dairy products – leaving Canadian dairy behind to stagnate, limited to our own small market,” she writes.

“ But what are we protecting? The small number of dairy farmers left in Canada are, on average, multimillionaires.

“It's not surprising that they want – and spend a lot of money lobbying hard – to keep the system that has made them rich, but which costs consumers and most other parts of our economy. What we need are some politicians with courage.”

Findlay spoke out against supply management when she made a bid to become leader of the Liberal party.

She notes that the supporters of milk supply management say Canadian prices are not that high, but contradict that by saying they can’t compete against U.S. subsidies.

Her opinion piece appeared as negotiations for revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement began in Washington. 

Canada faces insistent U.S. demands that it revamp or scrap supply management, especially for milk.