Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm that today the department initiated a dumping and subsidy investigation into imports of sugar from Korea, the European Union and the United States.
This investigation was initiated in response to allegations filed by the Canadian Sugar Institute that sugar imports are being dumped into Canada and that foreign refiners have been receiving government subsidies which allow them to sell at prices which are sometimes below the cost of production.
These alleged practices have reduced profit levels, forced Canadian refiners to reduce prices to unreasonable levels and to lay off workers. Therefore, the department will now investigate the allegations and should they be proven accurate, apply an extra duty which will take away the unfair advantage enjoyed by imports and once again provide a level playing field for Canadian refiners.