Bernier all for ‘real free trade with U.S.’
Only politician in Ottawa who is, he says
OTTAWA — Conservative MP Maxime Bernier says he’s the only politician in Ottawa who supports truly free trade with the U.S., and while it’s not his role to negotiate NAFTA with President Donald Trump, he thinks it’s “sad” that he’s the only one who wants to put supply management on the trading table.
In the weeks following Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s decision to strip Bernier of his critic role, the Beauce MP has maintained a pretty low profile.
But as trade tensions increase between Canada and the U.S., the staunch advocate of ending Canada’s supply management system for milk, eggs and poultry — a program popular with dairy farmers in Quebec, including in his riding — feels compelled to speak up.
In an interview with Canadian Press, he said every political party in Ottawa wants to keep the very system that Trump wants axed, and that intransigence is preventing Canada from reaching a deal.
The U.S. administration has frequently lashed out at Canada’s system for controlling the price and supply of dairy, eggs and chicken — but Canada has adamantly and repeatedly insisted that’s not on the table.
In a fundraising e-mail sent recently to supporters, Bernier wrote that he’s the “only politician in Ottawa who says we should sit down with Trump and start meaningful negotiations, instead of playing politics with the 20% of our economy that depends on trade with the U.S.”
When asked in the interview what Scheer might think of his e-mail blast, Bernier quickly interjected, “But that’s the reality. That’s the reality.
“I’m the only one who supports real free trade with the U.S., I’m the only one who is against a trade war with the U.S., and I’m the only one who wants to be sure that we’ll have a better economic prosperity for our country,” he said, adding the Conservatives “must not” support the government in its trade war with the U.S.