LeBlanc declares supply management is “off-limits” in trade talks
Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has declared Canada’s dairy supply management system off-limits in trade talks with the U.S.
Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has declared Canada’s dairy supply management system off-limits in trade talks with the U.S.
On Wednesday, the minister shut down any notion that supply management could become a bargaining chip despite U.S. attempts to have Canada bring it to the table.
“We have been very clear from the beginning that supply management is not a subject of negotiation with the Americans,” LeBlanc said in an interview aired this week.
“Our government passed a law that we supported happily to make it clear that supply management is not a subject of negotiations and international trade agreements.”
The comments come amid renewed speculation that Canada’s tightly controlled dairy, egg and poultry system faces pressure in upcoming trade negotiations with the United States. The Trump administration has previously criticized the system, calling it unfair to U.S. dairy producers.
Canada’s supply management system limits domestic production through quotas and protects farmers with high import tariffs.
In an interview with True North in July, trade expert David Clement from the Consumer Choice Centre blamed supply management for blocking a new US-Canada free trade agreement.
While successive governments have defended it as a means of ensuring stable incomes for Canadian producers, critics argue it inflates costs and stifles competition.
LeBlanc’s reassurances drew sharp criticism from prominent food policy expert Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, also known as the food professor, who pointed out a pattern of Liberal contradictions on the file.
In a post on X, Charlebois highlighted multiple past statements by LeBlanc pledging to protect supply management, including remarks in 2009 and 2016.
He contrasted that with the 2020 USMCA agreement, signed under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which granted U.S. producers increased access to Canada’s dairy market.
“The hypocrisy is mind-blowing,” Charlebois wrote.
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