The NFU Rejects Completely Martha Hall-Findlay’s Anti-Supply Management Report

Ottawa: “Former Liberal leadership candidate Martha Hall-Findlay has made public both her opposition to, and her lack of understanding of Canada’s supply management system for dairy in the report she presented in a press conference yesterday,” said Paul Slomp, National Farmers Union(NFU) Youth Vice President. “Her report is full of misinformation, skewed statistics, contradictions,and reprehensible arguments calling to eliminate supply management in order to gain points in behind-closed-doors international trade negotiations.”

“Supply management is the system we use here in Canada to make sure that there is always enough for Canadian consumers, and so we don’t end up dumping excess production down the drain,” said Randall Affleck, NFU Regional Coordinator and PEI dairy farmer. “It is set up to make sure that we farmers are paid a price that covers our cost of production. By controlling imports through tariffs, supply management keeps foreign companies from dumping their surplus in our market. It’s a win, win, win situation. The government is right to keep it off the table at trade negotiations. I hope they stick to their guns,” he added.

Processors are also provided with stability and predictability of supply and price. Supply managed sectors are distributed across the country, with farms and processing jobs located in each province. Because they operate primarily within Canada, they are not buffeted by price volatility due to wild swings in currency exchange rates or unexpected market disruptions caused by events outside our borders.

“Without supply management, taxpayers would end up paying twice for their poultry and dairy products – at the store and through increased government Business Risk Management program costs. With supply management we don’t need farm safety net programs that are triggered by market volatility, and which are essential to the survival of non-supply management farms,” added Affleck. “In a completely deregulated dairy market, subsidies would be required, or else family farms like mine would struggle to survive when our market gets flooded with cheap imports from US and New Zealand companies trying to get rid of their surplus.”

http://www.nfu.ca/story/nfu-rejects-completely-martha-hall-findlay%E2%80%99s-anti-supply-management-report


With debt from a six-year-old Liberal leadership bid nearly behind her, Martha Hall Findlay is thinking about making another run to lead the federal party.

Ms. Hall Findlay, a Toronto lawyer and former MP who was first to enter the race for leadership of the Liberals in 2006, announced Wednesday that she has raised enough money to pay off the remainder of what she borrowed to finance that campaign.

“I have been clear for months that I would not consider a run for the Liberal leadership with an outstanding debt,” said Ms. Hall Findlay, who lost on the first ballot of the contest that was won by Quebec MP Stéphane Dion.

“With that done,” she said in a statement, “I will now take some time to thank all those who have shown such tremendous support and to contemplate next steps.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/martha-hall-findlay-a-2006-contender-mulls-run-for-liberal-leader/article4618965/