Mr. Speaker, on behalf of dairy farmers in my riding of Nanaimo—Cowichan and indeed dairy farmers all across Canada, I call on the ministers of revenue, agriculture and international trade to get their act together.
They have the power to put a halt to the importing of butteroil-sugar blends which are replacing the use of domestic ingredients in the production of Canadian dairy products.
Since 1995 the import of butteroil-sugar blends into Canada from the United States, Europe and Mexico has doubled every year, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of dollars to Canadian farmers.
The ministers of international trade and revenue will know that the butteroil-sugar blend is created in a manner intended to circumvent tariff agreements covering the importing of most dairy products, yet this $50 million a year assault on the pockets of Canadian dairy farmers is allowed to continue because the ministers in question will not reclassify the butteroil-sugar blend.
It is time the government ended its foot dragging and stepped forward to protect the interests of Canadian dairy farmers.