Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for raising this important issue. The government strongly supports supply management, dairy producers and the Canadian dairy industry. Canada's supply management sectors are essential parts of a strong, prosperous agricultural sector.
On September 30, Canada reached a historic trade agreement with the United States and Mexico. The new agreement means stability and security for our farmers when trading with their largest customer to the south, and it means a strong foundation for growth in the future. With this agreement, we have maintained the tariff-free access to the American market for Canadian exports that we have enjoyed under NAFTA. That is good news for the 1.9 million Canadians whose jobs depend on trade with the United States. For our farmers and food processors, we have protected our $30 billion in agri-food exports to the United States.
Throughout the negotiations, our government worked extremely hard to advance the interests of Canadian farmers and food businesses. We know that they are primary economic drivers for this country. We know that they create well-paying jobs, particularly in our rural communities. At the same time, we fully recognize that the agreement will impact farmers and processors under supply management.
It is important to remember that this U.S. administration was calling for the complete dismantlement of the supply management system. Our government defended and preserved our system from these very strong American attempts to see it dismantled. The Prime Minister has stated that our dairy, poultry and egg producers will be fully and fairly supported for any market losses.
Before we do that, we need to sit down with producers and processors. That is why we have formed working groups for industry and government to develop strategies for the short term and the long term. Our common goal is to help our dairy, poultry and egg sectors innovate and drive our economy for future generations.