OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois is pressuring senators to leave unscathed the party’s private member’s bill that would prevent supply management from being subject to future trade concessions.
Leader Yves-François Blanchet, whose party opposes an unelected Senate, has been lobbying senators in recent days to convince them to vote against a Senate amendment to Bill C-282 that would “sabotage” its purpose.
“It was to make sure that we were going to raise awareness,” said Blanchet, in an unusual press conference at the Senate. Blanchet himself recognized that “clearly, this is not how we usually do business.”
Blanchet met with Senators Peter Boehm, Peter Harder, Pierre Dalphond, Raymonde Saint-Germain and Don Plett. He wanted to know whether the amendment would be adopted, but also whether the Senate would obstruct the bill.
“The meetings were very cordial… The quality of the conversations I had with senators have no comparison with the circus in the House of Commons… I have reasonable confidence that there will be no further delays,” said Blanchet.
Senators were set to resume debate on the amendment Thursday, with a vote expected next week.
The bill has drawn attention because the party recently used it as a condition to keep the Liberal government in power. The Grits support the original private member’s bill and have also tried to convince senators to vote for it.
“We will not accept any bill that minimizes or eliminates the House’s obligation to protect supply management in any future trade agreement. We have been very clear on that,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during question period on Wednesday.
Bill C-282 would amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to prevent the minister from “making a commitment” that would increase the tariff rate quota for dairy, poultry or eggs in trade negotiations. But it would also prevent the reduction of the tariff on these products when they are imported in excess.
If the Senate amendment is adopted, the Act would not apply to existing agreements or those that are being renegotiated or negotiated.
“Those who are critical will say that by amending it in this way, we’re sending it back to the House where it might not meet a wonderful end,” said Sen. Peter Boehm, chair of the Senate committee on foreign affairs and international trade during debate in the upper house.
In an interview with the National Post Thursday after his meeting with Blanchet, Boehm said “it’s very difficult to predict the outcome of this vote, other than to say it’s going to be close.”
According to Senate sources, many conversations between senators have occurred recently. Boehm said he has not lobbied his colleagues.
“So, my basic position is, I don’t think this bill is necessary at all,” he added.
The Bloc first introduced the bill in 2019 and again in 2021. It was ultimately passed by nearly 80 per cent of MPs in the House of Commons in June 2023.
Supporters of the bill say it would protect farmers and local communities across the country, particularly in Quebec, while opponents argue it would tie the hands of Canadian negotiators in trade negotiations. The main opponents include Canadian exporters, as well as senators Boehm and Harder.
“Senators Peter Boehm and Peter Harder have literally sabotaged Bill C‑282. They amended it to prevent supply management from being protected in existing trade agreements,” said the Bloc’s House Leader Alain Therrien earlier this week.
The two senators are chair and co-chair of the committee that examined the bill and introduced the amendment in the Senate. Both senators were appointed by Justin Trudeau, and Harder was the government representative in the Senate during Trudeau’s first term.
“What we did in our examination of the bill as opposed to the other place — we had negotiators, and experts as well, speaking and providing, I would say, a more balanced view in terms of the pros and the cons,” said Sen Boehm, earlier this week.
“By trying to ‘de-risk’ it, we are saying that we are looking at this very soberly and seriously,” he added.
The bill is being debated as Canada prepares to renegotiate the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in 2026.
“Just think. Donald Trump wants to reopen the CUSMA, and these two guys want to serve him up supply management on a silver platter,” Therrien said earlier this week.
The government supported the bill even though it has a policy that does just that. But that policy can be withdrawn at any time, while the law would be within the prerogative of Parliament.
Sen. Marc Gold, the government’s representative in the Senate, urged his colleagues to oppose the committee’s recommendation to amend it so that the bill could proceed to third reading in its original form. Earlier, his colleague in the House of Commons, Government House Leader Karina Gould, did the same.
“To be clear, Bill C-282 supports the vital goal of ensuring the ongoing strength, stability and sustainability of Canada’s supply management system,” Sen. Gold said.
National Post
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