Open Letter from the Dairy Farmers of Canada to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Re: USMCA Agreement
OTTAWA, Nov. 28, 2018 /CNW/ -
Dear Prime Minister,
On behalf of dairy farmers across Canada, we are writing at this time due to the concern that the current final text of the USMCA will cause further harm to the Canadian dairy industry. The existing text fundamentally undermines Canadian sovereignty. Simply stated, Appendix 3, Section C10 and 11 grants the US oversight into the administration of our Canadian dairy system which undermines Canadian sovereignty and ability to manage Canadian dairy without US intervention.
At a meeting with your key officials following the announcement of the agreement and publication of the US text, Dairy Farmers of Canada was told that the issue of US oversight had not been agreed to by Canada – and would not be part of the final agreement. We remain concerned that we have not yet seen a final text with this portion excluded.
Prime Minister, we ask that, to prevent further damage to the Canadian dairy sector, you do not sign the USMCA until the US oversight of our dairy system has been removed from the agreement. This is a matter of Canadian sovereignty; Canada's dairy farmers are counting on you to remain steadfast.
Regards,
Pierre Lampron
President
Dairy Farmers of Canada
Dave Taylor
Chair
BC Dairy Association
Tom Kootstra
Chair
Alberta Milk
Melvin Foth
Chair
SaskMilk
David Wiens
Chair
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba
Ralph Dietrich
Chair
Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Bruno Letendre
Chair
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec<
Paul Gaunce
Chair
Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick
Gerrit Damsteegt
Chair
Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia
Harold MacNevin
Chair
Dairy Farmers of Prince Edward Island
Leslie Brophy
Chair
Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador
SOURCE Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC)
Media contact: Lucie Boileau, Director of Communications, [email protected], 613-220-1724
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