Mr. Speaker, Americans subsidize their dairy farmers to the tune of $3.6 billion, yet they are challenging our high tariffs on dairy and other supply managed products. They have asked for a NAFTA panel to rule in their favour.
If the Americans win, our supply managed farmers will face open competition overnight and Canadian dairy and poultry producers may be devastated. Two billion dollars' worth of dairy quotas will become worthless, thousands of farmers could be forced out of business, and many rural communities would be severely affected.
I ask the Minister of International Trade to be proactive rather than reactive and initiate a negotiated settlement, point out the sky high American subsidies and offer to reduce some of our tariffs in return for subsidy reduction in the United States.
I ask the government to negotiate, because too much is at stake to play at winner take all. It is entirely possible that the NAFTA panel may say "Canada, you lose".