Dairy Farmers Say Industry Will Suffer From CUSMA Implementation

Jul 09, 2020

Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) is reminding Canadians about the negative impacts of CUSMA (Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement), which came into effect July 1, 2020.

"The Canadian government gave 3.9 per cent domestic market access to the U.S., so that will be filled by American dairy products," said DFC Vice President David Wiens. "That's a significant loss for the industry and according to our calculations, that will be a loss of revenue of about $330 million."

Wiens says this creates concern about the quality of the dairy products coming into Canada, adding consumers should look for the Canadian dairy brand on their products if they want to ensure it meets the highest standards.

He says the deal also gave the U.S. oversight, noting a clause in the agreement gives the U.S. the ability to intervene in any kind of administrative changes that Canada would make to our domestic system.

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

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