Andrew McClelland
The Advocate
The House of Commons unanimously passed a bill aimed at protecting supply management in future trade negations earlier this month, as the BlocQuébécoisramps up its efforts to pressure the federal government to keep its promise on defending Canada’s protected agricultural sectors.
“The current context forces us to act as quickly as possible to protect the Quebec agricultural model, which is under increasing commercial pressure from the United States,” said BQ leader Yves-François Blanchet, who tabled the bill on May 29.
“We must defend our agriculture tooth and nail so that no part of the supply management can be sold during negotiations with the U.S. administration.”
Blanchet’s bill, now designated Bill C-202, is timed to make Prime Minister Mark Carney follow through on his statements that the Liberal government would defend supply management.
Speaking of future trade negotiations at the French-language leaders’ debate in April, Carney said: “We have to be clear what will never be on the table: the French language, Quebec culture and supply management. Never on the table.”
The bill also comes on the heels of King Charles’s May 27 Speech from the Throne, during which the visiting monarch mentioned the Crown’s desire to protect agriculture in general — and supply management specifically.
“The government … will protect the people who give us access to fresh, healthy and quality food: agricultural producers,” the King said. “And it will protect supply management.”
Quebec’s dairy producers welcomed the bill’s passing on June 6, echoing the anxieties shared by many Canadian farmers regarding Donald Trump’s aggressive stance on U.S.-Canada trade relations.
“We thank all parties in the House of Commons for allowing the bill to pass quickly, especially in the current context with what appears to be the resumption of trade and security discussions between Canada and the United States,” said Daniel Gobeil, president of Les Producteurs de lait du Québec in a post on the group’s official Facebook page.
Quebec milk producers reminded the public that the battle over supply management, particularly in the milk, egg and poultry sectors, has been waged for the past five years.
“Supply management, which has been the subject of concessions in the last three trade agreements, is simply not negotiable,” wrote Gobeil, referring to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Those agreements, while leaving supply management fundamentally intact, made some concessions on modifications to the milk class system and allowed a greater share of Canada’s fine cheese market to overseas imports.
The BQ introduced a similar bill, which was approved by 80 per cent of the Hosue of Commons in 2023, including the entirety of the Liberal caucus (except for two MPs), as well as the NDP and Bloc. At the time, Conservatives voted 56 for; 49 against.
Yet, that bill was ultimately stalled in the Senate in 2024 by Independent Senator Peter Boehm and Progressive Senator Peter Harder, in a move the BQ described as “literal sabotage.” It then died in January, when Parliament was prorogued.
“I don’t think it’s in Canada’s national interest to pass this bill because it divides the agricultural community … and it will impact future trade negotiations,” Boehm said at the time.
Neither senator commented on the Bloc’s reintroduction of a supply management bill.
A review of the CUSMA deal is scheduled for 2026. Blanchet said that he would be meeting with the prime minister this month to discuss the bill.