Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to such an important motion for all of our country. The motion not only relates to the specifics of dairy farming, but it also relates to the trade agreement we are entering into and the welfare of Canadian citizens from coast to coast to coast.
It is important to note that we believe in trade, but it has to be responsible and fair trade. Those are key elements that are missing from the TPP on many fronts. It is also one of those things that could undermine generations of contributions, planning, and infrastructure development to create an industry that could be exposed to a system outside of Canada that has an advantage, but there is a disadvantage for us, because we take account of humane and environmental standards and have a system with the highest standards in the world.
We have a lot to be proud of in that system. It is about a country choosing one of the basic nutritious products and converting it into goods that Canadians can purchase and rely upon to be healthy, stable, and predictable. Canadians want to know that when they go about their purchasing, when deciding what to buy and when to buy. Now, that could all be turned upside down, and likely will be under this agreement.
I live in a border town. In fact, 40% of Canada's daily trade goes through my riding, the two kilometres along the Detroit River. There is the Detroit-Windsor tunnel, the CP rail tunnel, and the Ambassador Bridge. There is a hazardous waste ferry that crosses the river as well. Ironically, some of the goods and services we trade have to go through a hazardous waste materials check even if they are empty, because there are remnants in those containers.
I will return to the motion later, but I want to talk about the cultural experience we have.
Some people shop in the U.S. when our dollar is at an advantage, but they often do not know the differences, aside from taste, between American and Canadian milk. What they do not understand as well is that the milk industry in the United States is heavily subsidized by the U.S. government, from the farm and contributions from development marketing all the way to the grocery store.
It sounds attractive to go there to buy cheap milk, but what some Canadians do not understand is that milk is not the same as Canadian milk. They put in additives and preservatives to extend the shelf life. U.S. milk is very different from the Canadian milk on our shelves. It has not been tested as rigorously and has not gone through some of the approval processes that are necessary in Canada to ensure the health and vibrancy of the product.
Milk, as a kind of signature product, is crucial for families across Canada. It is interesting though, because there are other industries that are at risk, where many nations have strategic plans. Some of those at-risk industries and areas include the auto industry, property rights, foreign takeovers, rights and Internet freedoms, and affordability of prescription medicines.
This one is also very important, because quite literally, what will become an issue for our water and food supply in the future will be food security. Food security, at the end of the day, means the protection of good resources for Canadians so they can purchase goods and raise their families versus the situation right now. It could be a very short gain to bring in other products at the expense of this industry, which was promised protection and supports. We were supposed to get action quickly, within a matter of days here in the House of Commons, but it never happened.
We put at risk all the investment we have put forward. We put that at risk that investment for a short cut in the short term, and we will never recover in the long term.
I point to other examples in the world where we have seen governments take the short cut thinking it will save consumers, will save things, and will allow things to be better, but it has not been the case.
Most notably, look at what is taking place in London, England, and other municipalities with regard to the privatization of water. Water is one of the key elements for many of the products that are delivered at the end of the day. They have actually been seeking and securing the return of those elements, after they have privatized those facilities.
I worry about dairy farmers and others. Once we lose these elements, how do we get them back? We have a tough enough time to convince young people to stay in farming and carry the family legacy. We are talking massive investments for farmers and their families for the operations necessary to produce a product. That product, at the end of the day, is crucial for our Canadian citizens and our independence. We do not want to rely upon others for those resources.
I will give a quick example from the auto sector of how this poor judgment and the lack of competition can result in real problems. Specifically, it is the Takata air bags. Because of consolidation and lack of competition, the air bags virtually became the air bags for North American automobiles. There were problems. We did not have the same problems in Canada, but they are produced in the same places with the same logistics and the same products go into those air bags. Six people died because the air bags deployed and shrapnel killed them. Now we are in the process of recall. Defective bags are still being put into cars because they do not have a solution just yet and they cannot replace them in all the cars. We did that by dependence.
What happens if we lose this industry and we do not have the independence to resume it? I think that is critical, because all that investment we have made over the years does not seem to be worthwhile at the end of the day.
I have seen it before with respect to economic development where there are some businesses that we would call loss leaders for the full advantage of the overall plan. I have seen that with the auto sector. We have gone from number two to number ten in auto manufacturing, because the auto sector was the sacrificial lamb of NAFTA. That is why we lost the Auto Pact which was developed in the 1960s and created much of the prosperity and continues to be a cornerstone in the Canadian economy, despite the challenges. This could happen with the dairy sector as well.
The motions says, “recognize the magnitude of the economic losses to Canadian dairy producers from the importation of diafiltered milk from the United States, which totalled $220 million in 2015”.
There is a simple example of unfairness applied, because CBSA at the border allows some of it. It becomes uncompetitive because of the laws we have and the lack of interest to actually apply them. The government was good at promising a review. It was supposed to deliver a review and a solution. It has not delivered. How do we invest in this industry right now that is so critical when all it is going to do is bring uncertainty?