APAS Adds its Voice to Opposition of Bill C-282

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has added its voice to the concerns about the trade risks posed by Bill C-282. 

 As currently drafted, Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management), would basically take Canada’s supply management system off the table in any future trade negotiations. 

However, APAS said in a release today Bill C-282 is not about the virtues of the supply-managed system. Rather, it is about trade. And while APAS said it wholeheartedly stands behind the crucial role of supply management in ensuring Canadian food security, President Ian Boxall said there is concern the bill – which he described as a “protectionist law” – could provoke a negative reaction from Canada’s most important trading partners, particularly the US. 

“With approximately two-thirds of Canada's economy relying on trade with the US, this Bill introduces unnecessary risks that could destabilize our agriculture sector,” Boxall said. “This isn’t about supply-managed commodities and APAS would be equally opposed to legislative protections for any commodity or industry.”