The leaders of the four main parties appeared together to support dairy farmers
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
While the four main political parties in Quebec may have different visions for the province, representatives of the parties sent a strong message in support of dairy farmers.
With only a month go before the provincial election, members of the four primary political parties stood together on Friday to defend supply management.
“It was very clearly said that we will defend supply management, which is not an old system – it’s a modern system,” Premier Philippe Couillard and leader of Quebec’s Liberal party, told reporters Friday, The Canadian Press reported. “There’s no text in the world that says Quebec and Canada should be the dumping ground of (dairy) oversupply from the U.S.A.”
“Supply management is non-negotiable,” Manon Masse, a spokesperson for Quebec Solidaire, said during the press conference, Journal de Montreal reported.
The system helps “ensure equity in Quebec and Canada, and to protect these families who are struggling because they work hard,” she said.
Jean-Francoise Lisee, leader of the Parti Quebecois, and Sylvie D’Amours, agriculture critic for the Coalition Avenir Quebec, also attended the meeting.
The dairy industry contributes about $8.7 billion to Quebec’s GDP annually and employs more than 100,000 people.
Ending, or even altering supply management, could have a large effect on the industry.
The dairy industry needs the leaders to stand united and “send a clear message to Mr. Trudeau’s team and negotiators,” Marcel Groleau, president general of the Union of Agricultural Prodeucers, said during the meeting, Journal de Montreal reported.