Mr. Speaker, the suspension of WTO talks in Seattle represents a severe blow to Canadian farmers demanding the elimination of export and domestic subsidies.
Subsidies by countries like France, Korea and Japan have dramatically lowered the world price of grain and devastated our farmers. The U.S. anti-dumping laws also remain a crucial barrier to farmers in western Canada. Talks scheduled to resume at WTO headquarters in Geneva this January give our negotiators one more chance to end the log jam. However, there is little evidence to believe that anything immediate will occur.
It is time for Canada to take a leading role on this issue and enter into tough bilateral negotiations with the United States and partners in the Cairns group to force France, Korea and Japan to open up their markets. The time has come for the government to play hardball on behalf of Canadian farmers.