Madam Chair, we would have to ask the minister if that would be doable and profitable under those circumstances.
I certainly do not believe that leaving the negotiating table at a time when the supply management system is threatened is a good approach. Who will defend the supply management system, if the minister has left the table? We have to be present but firm. The same is true of members of Parliament; we have to be present in the House. If I am not in my seat, I cannot speak on behalf of the dairy producers in my region.
My position is just the opposite of what the hon. member suggested. The minister has to be at the table. Both the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food have to be firm in these negotiations.This does not mean flouting WTO rules. It means using those means available to us to defend our supply management system and our agriculture. The supply management system does not benefit only Quebec, it also benefits the other provinces across Canada.
I do not understand why the ministers are so timid, when they have a tool to negotiate. We gave up article XI of the GATT in 1994; now is not the time to give up those tools we have left. By applying article XXVIII, the farm producers' wishes could be met, and our system would truly be defended.