International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I have with me the lead negotiators on environment and labour, as well as other experts. We look forward to responding to your questions on the Canada-Colombia free trade negotiations. I understand that the subject of today’s s

Agriculture committee  I want to be as clear as possible here. The customs tariff is the taxing authority; it's tax legislation. If the Minister of Finance chooses to raise taxes, the normal procedure—and it's a basic principle—is that it goes forward as legislation before Parliament.

Agriculture committee  We're provided legal advice on an ongoing basis on issues such as this. And, yes, we have been provided legal advice that we would have to go forward with legislation if we were going to change the status of milk protein concentration.

Agriculture committee  It's possible to do that through legislation. No decision has been made to move forward. As was explained, the working group has been established, and I understand that it is looking at this issue, among others. The departments represented here are awaiting input from that discus

Agriculture committee  If you're talking about accusations of dumped or subsidized imports, the Dairy Farmers of Canada would take that complaint to the Canada Border Services Agency, with their documentation and allegations of dumping or subsidization. That's how the process would begin.

Agriculture committee  I don't know if I can answer that last question, but with respect to your question about the appeal on corn, both Canada and the U.S. retain their rights to use trade remedy measures. Canada, over the last decade, has taken actions against the United States, and vice versa. In th

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. The Special Import Measures Act is the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. It sets out the rules for implementing Canada's rights to impose anti-dumping or countervailing duties against injurious imports. The process is that domestic industry w

Agriculture committee  I don't have that before me. I think there was an apples case in the past, maybe over a decade ago, but I can provide that information to the committee.

Agriculture committee  Thank you. With respect to domestic legislative change, we have met with the Dairy Farmers of Canada and we've met interdepartmentally on it. We're seized of the issue of the concern of the Dairy Farmers, but we are constrained by the legislation. We can't raise tariff rates wit

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Graham. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Carol Nelder-Corvari. I'm the director of the international trade policy division at the Department of Finance. With me is Mr. Dean Beyea, who is the chief of tariff policy. The Minister of Finance is responsible for Canad