Thank you, Madam Chair.
My name is Tim Klompmaker. I'm a chicken farmer from Norwood, Ontario, and chair of Chicken Farmers of Canada. Supply management is the reason why I am a farmer. My parents took over the farm from my grandparents in 1972, and supply management was the reason why they encouraged me to purchase my own farm in 1984.
My wife and I raised three sons, who are now also chicken farmers thanks to supply management. It is a uniquely Canadian system that supports generations of farmers and feeds millions of Canadians. We're all here to talk about the same thing. Whether we're government officials or members of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture or other farm groups, we're all worried about the same thing: How do we continue to provide safe, high-quality food to feed people? We're all unified in the fact that farmers feed Canadians and the world. We require the tools and support to continue doing so in our own unique ways.
Bill C-282 is welcomed by Chicken Farmers of Canada. It would ensure the Government of Canada grants no further concessions in the supply management sectors in any future trade deal. We cannot afford to lose part of our market with every trade agreement. The Chicken Farmers of Canada board of directors, comprising farmers, processors, further processors and members of the food service sector, carefully determines how much chicken Canada needs for the coming months, and farmers from coast to coast produce that amount. It also considers how much is coming from imports, making it predictable and reliable. Any additional access granted undermines the import control pillar of the system, meaning it can't function as intended.
I can't stress this enough: If supply management is weakened, the Canadian chicken sector cannot guarantee safe, local chicken raised with care for Canadians, threatening food security in all 10 of the provinces in which we operate. Supply management allows our sector to enforce mandatory, audited food safety and animal care programs under the “raised by a Canadian farmer” brand. These enforcement measures are of particular importance during outbreaks of animal diseases like avian influenza, as we are seeing now. Guaranteed food safety and animal care programs are some of the many reasons why supply management works.
With headlines stating that food security is at risk due to weather events, disease and global conflict, the last thing we want is for consumers to fear there will be no food to feed their families. A supply-managed farmer's job, first and foremost, is providing food for Canadians. Every time Canada enters trade negotiations, this ability to provide is at risk. Trade is important to our country, but it should not harm supply management, particularly given that Canadian chicken production is only 1.3% of world chicken production.
Recently, the CPTPP and CUSMA trade agreements have significantly impacted Canadian chicken farmers. We have never stood in the way of Canada achieving a fair deal. Our sector provides stability at home, while sectors with greater export potential can pursue opportunities in international markets. We also note that most countries have sensitive sectors they wish to protect. For example, New Zealand has strict biosecurity laws that impose extreme cooking requirements on imported poultry products.
By adopting legislation that ensures no further access to supply management is granted in any future trade agreement, parliamentarians will show Canada's dairy, poultry and egg farmers that they stand by them, just as we have always been there for Canadians.
Supporting this bill is not bad trade policy. It is good domestic policy. Supply management means looking out for Canadians.