CFA dismayed that farmers were ignored in revisions to the Agreement on Internal Trade

October 16, 2009 -The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is disappointed that the revisions to the Agreement on Internal Trade, an agreement with the potential to severely impact farmers, was approved yesterday without any industry consultation. 

The CFA reached out to the co-chairs of the Internal Trade Committee - Minister of Industry Tony Clement, and Yukon Minister of Economic Development Jim Kenyon - before the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) meeting on October 15 in an attempt to meet with them and share some of Industry’s concerns. However, consultation with industry never came to fruition. The final analysis of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Agreement on Internal Trade including the revisions to the agriculture chapter, Chapter Nine, was reviewed and finalized at the meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon on October 15th, 2009.

“The CFA is tired of the paternalistic, rather than true partnership, approach by government that they know best. What possible reason could they have not to discuss with industry if they indeed felt it was a good deal?" said CFA President Laurent Pellerin. “The initiative to renegotiate the text was without any prior consultation with affected industry groups. The revisions to Chapter Nine have effects for every sector of Canadian Agriculture, and CFA is very disappointed with the Agreement. It concerns the CFA and its membership.”

Legal analysis of the text has shown that despite the Premiers assurances that the legislative powers of orderly marketing boards has been is excluded, the actual language is not adequate. In addition, further legal analysis has shown the text does not specifically protect the power for Ministerial Exemptions. The CFA hopes that Signatories to the text understand the need to consult with industry to ensure that the wording in the text does not undermine Canadian Agriculture before moving the process any further. 

CFA and its provincial members have been asking their respective provincial Premiers and ministers responsible for Agriculture and Trade:

•           To consult with industry in the process of negotiating the final text of Chapter 9 on agriculture;

•           To not accept a text that will harm Canada’s ability to run an effective supply management system and to regulate the core functions of the system;

•           To not accept a text that will harm Canada’s ability to run effective marketing boards;

•           To propose to the other provinces that the wording and intention related to the protection and maintenance of supply management needs to reflect what was agreed to in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between Quebec and Ontario.

Despite these requests, industry has been ignored. Signatories must now ratify the text in their respective jurisdictions, despite providing no opportunity for the agri-food industry to see a copy of the proposed text and comment before approving it yesterday. The CFA hopes that the federal government and remaining signatories listen to the concerns of Canadian farmers and consult with industry.