Bill C-282

An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management)

This enactment amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act so that the Minister of Foreign Affairs cannot make certain commitments with respect to international trade regarding certain goods.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

They ultimately pay the price. Thank you for that.

I'd like to go now to the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance and Mr. Carey.

You talked in your presentation about some of the trade barriers that exist. You talked about direct government support, in essence, and most people would think monetary support, government policies, a regulatory approach. However, we recently reviewed Bill C-282 here. What it would do is preclude discussions of our supply-managed sectors when the Canadian government undertakes new trade negotiations.

CUSMA is up for renewal in the next couple of years. We're currently working on a Canada-U.K. trade agreement. We've just had the U.K. accession to the CPTPP.

Do you see this as a trade irritant that is just waiting to happen?

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

I guess I didn't ask my question very well. If we solve the quota situation, would you be in a situation of having a good, thriving business and have Bill C-282—

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

I have just one more question about cheese.

You briefly mentioned Bill C-282, which we have obviously discussed at this committee, and your concerns with it. You have these other concerns about the TRQ, the quota system. I'm not an expert here, but it strikes me that the quota system is more of a problem for you. If we got rid of Bill C-282, you would still have a difficult situation before you. Is that right?

[Joe Dal Ferro]

We find that Bill C-282 will limit the availability of cheeses from around the world for Canadian consumers. It will make it much more difficult to import cheeses from around the world.

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Did you want to comment on Bill C-282 at all?

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank the witnesses for being here.

I want to follow up with the ICCC on some questions. We've heard from beef, especially about the U.K. ascending into the CPTPP. You mentioned a few of the existing trade barriers you're facing. I wonder if you could comment on how your companies are adapting to those. I wonder if you could comment on Bill C-282, which we recently had here in committee. If that passes, how would that work for your customers and the companies you represent?

Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Shefford for her question.

This is an opportunity for me to talk about the farmers and families in Perth—Wellington, where we have the largest number of dairy farmers and chicken farmers in the country. Supply management is very important for me and for the people of Perth—Wellington.

I was very pleased to vote for Bill C-282, which is very important, but let us be clear: This bill is only a small part of a big concern for farmers and families in Perth—Wellington and across Canada.

50th Anniversary of Egg Farmers of Canada

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all the egg farming families of Berthier—Maskinongé and Quebec, I would like to congratulate the Egg Farmers of Canada on its 50th anniversary.

I would also like to call attention to its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, as our egg farmers join the fight against climate change.

Our supply management system ensures that farmers have the income and capacity they need to reinvest in their operation when our market grows. It also promotes land use and food resilience. The more family farms there are, the more villages will flourish.

For the Egg Farmers of Canada, this 50th anniversary is a chance to spotlight innovative practices and effective management. To celebrate this anniversary, let us protect supply management by passing Bill C‑282. No gift could be more welcome.

Long live the Egg Farmers of Canada, and long live supply management.

International Trade

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, in relation to Bill C-282, an act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, on supply management.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Shall the bill carry? We'll have a recorded vote, please.

(Bill C-282 agreed to: yeas 7; nays 3)

Shall the chair report the bill to the House? We'll have a recorded vote again, please.

(Reporting of bill to the House agreed to: yeas 7; nays 4)

Thank you all very much. That concludes the clause-by-clause on Bill C-282. I will report it to the House, as directed by the committee.

Just for the information of the committee, on Monday we will be returning to the IRA and the discussion about the Washington travel. On Thursday, we will start on the non-tariff barriers and the motion from Mr. Seeback. Is everybody good with that? Okay.

I move adjournment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Mr. Arya.

I need to make a ruling on your proposed amendment.

Bill C-282 amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to restrict the Minister of Foreign Affairs from making certain commitments with respect to international trade regarding tariffs and the tariff rate quota for certain goods. The amendment seeks to remove these restrictions.

Again, as the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, on page 770, states:

An amendment to a bill that was referred to a committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope and principle of the bill.

As such, there is no debate. LIB-1 is inadmissible.

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Madam Chair, I move that Bill C-282, in clause 1, be amended by replacing line 9 on page 1 with the following:

give due consideration to the net benefit to Canada before making any commitment on behalf of the Government

As I said earlier, I'll make it very brief.

This bill is a big problem, and not only during the negotiations of any future trade agreements. In my view, it will start affecting Canada negatively even before certain agreements come for negotiation.

Currently, if I'm not wrong, there are free trade agreements negotiated with India, Indonesia and several other countries. The negotiators of the countries who are negotiating with Canada may use this bill as a tool to demand concessions or to prevent themselves from offering any concessions that Canada desires.

As I mentioned earlier, it is our responsibility as elected members of Parliament to look at what is in the best interests of Canada, not our partisan political interests. Supply management is well entrenched, and its supporters are quite vocal and very organized. We can't support a bill that goes against the interests of most of the farmers in the country just to respond to pressure from this small group of farmers, and not—

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

All right, thank you very much. Our translation issue is all right.

I need to now make a ruling on CPC-2. Thank you for moving it.

Bill C-282 amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to restrict the Minister of Foreign Affairs from making certain commitments with respect to international trade regarding tariffs and the tariff rate quota for certain goods. The amendment seeks to institute a compensatory regime that would be applicable to anyone affected by international trade.

As House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, states on page 770:

An amendment to a bill that was referred to a committee after second reading is out of order if it is beyond the scope and principle of the bill.

It is my opinion, Mr. Seeback, that the amendment is inadmissible.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

If CPC-1 is adopted—if Mr. Baldinelli's motion is adopted—CPC-2 and LIB-1 cannot be moved due to a conflict in the lines. Once a line of a clause has been amended by the committee, it cannot be further amended by a subsequent amendment, as a given line may be amended only once.

I'm going to ask for a recorded vote on CPC-1, Madam Clerk.

(Amendment negatived: nays 7; yeas 4 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

The amendment does not carry.

On CPC-2, Bill C-282 amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act....

I'm sorry. Do you want to move CPC-2, Mr. Seeback?

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

I see that we have no party lines today. That's great! It's a new thing.

So here's my opinion. This amendment proposes that we replace “the Minister must not make any commitment on behalf of the Government of Canada, by international trade treaty or agreement” with “the Minister may consider not making any commitment on behalf of the Government of Canada, by international trade treaty or agreement”.

This amendment simply removes all substance from Bill C‑282. It takes all of the teeth out of it. It takes away any opportunity to prevent one minister from legally forcing another minister to put supply management on the table. It opens the door again. We are back to what we already had, which was verbal commitments from all sides to supply management and, in the end, no binding legislation. It completely distorts the bill.

If that's what you want, instead of passing an amendment, vote against clause 1. It will amount to the same thing.