Trudeau-Appointed Senators Question Bill Bloc Wants Passed to Support Liberals

The Senate of Canada building is pictured in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2019. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Some senators appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are criticizing a Bloc Québécois bill on dairy quotas, which the party has said is a requirement for it to continue supporting the Liberal government on non-confidence votes.

Bill C-282, An Act To Amend The Department Of Foreign Affairs Act, makes dairy, poultry, and egg quotas non-negotiable in any future trade negotiations. The legislation was passed in the House of Commons in 2023 by a vote of 262 to 51. All Bloc, NDP, and Green MPs voted for the bill, as well as all but two Liberal MPs. Of the Conservative MPs voting, 56 voted in favour, while 49 opposed.

The Bloc has identified the passage of Bill C-282 as one condition of keeping the federal government in power. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the bill must become law by Oct. 29 or the party “will initiate discussions with the other opposition parties to bring down the government.”

During a Sept. 26 meeting of the Senate foreign affairs committee, advocates on both sides of the issue raised what they saw as the benefits and the harms of the legislation, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.

“The bill quite frankly, for what we see as very little benefit for the supply management sector, would absolutely create an environment that is very detrimental to the vast swath of farmers,” testified Greg Northey, vice-president of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance.

Meanwhile, Phil Mount, vice-president of operations at the National Farmers Union, said he supported the bill because it would “prevent any future trade deal from transferring market share in Canada’s dairy, chicken, turkey and egg sectors to foreign companies.”

Senators Express Concern

Sen. Marty Deacon, appointed by Trudeau in 2018, said the bill was “worrisome,” because it could harm Canada’s renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in 2026.

“We are going to spoil any good faith approach to this renegotiation by saying we will not allow access to the supply-managed sectors which can hinder negotiations from the get-go,” she said.

Sen. Mary Coyle, appointed by Trudeau in 2017, said she was “not happy” after hearing the testimony.

“You’ve all been pretty clear you see this as bad for Canada’s economy,“ she said. “This bill was not well studied in the House.”

Sen. Peter Harder, appointed by Trudeau in 2016, told the Senate foreign affairs committee the bill was “a very large hammer,” and that farmers would pay the price for it.

During a Senate foreign affairs committee meeting on Sept. 25, several senators also raised concerns about the bill’s impact on future trade negotiations. Conservative Senator Micheal MacDonald questioned whether Bill C-282 could limit the Canadian government’s flexibility in trade negotiations.