Trump, farmers broaden attacks on Liberals
The Canada-U.S. trade war bled into farm fields on Monday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government faced dual attacks from Canadian dairy farmers, and President Donald Trump.
The Dairy Farmers of Canada branded as “troubling” and “worrisome” comments Trudeau made on NBC’s Meet the Press that Canada was considering allowing U.S. dairy greater access to the Canadian market as part of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump, meanwhile, broadened his trade tirades on Twitter into agriculture, writing: “Canada has all sorts of trade barriers on our Agricultural products. Not acceptable!”
The attacks came as the government is already reeling from Trump’s imposition last week of steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, part the president’s broader tariff attack on Mexico and Europe. Speaking on the NBC Sunday news show, Trudeau called the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum “insulting and unacceptable.” Trudeau was also asked about possible concessions the U.S. is seeking in the NAFTA talks. “I think they want a better deal on their auto sector from Mexico and I think they want more access on certain agricultural products like dairy to Canada,” the prime minister said. Asked if he was willing to give that, Trudeau replied: “We were moving toward flexibility in those areas that I thought was very, very promising.” But he said the U.S. insistence on a five-year sunset clause was a deal breaker. Pierre Lampron, president of the Dairy Farmers of Canada, sent Trudeau a letter on Monday, demanding a meeting and questioning his support for the dairy industry. “These comments are deeply troubling for our dairy farmers, as you and your government’s representatives have repeatedly stated that you support the supply management system and our sector,” Lampron wrote. “Your comments, in addition to political meetings between your staff and President Trump’s advisers, for which there has been little information provided to us, are quite worrisome.” Trudeau’s office declined direct comment on the letter and instead referred to comments Monday in question period, in which Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay once again defended Canada’s supply management system. “The Liberal government is the government that put supply management in place and it is the Liberal government that will protect supply management,” MacAulay said. Trudeau also faced calls Monday to speed up the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum, but he rebuffed them. He said he wants to respect the government’s 30-day consultation period on its proposed $16.6-billion tariff package.