The ongoing NAFTA talks are top of mind for Canada’s Agriculture Minister.
Lawrence MacAulay is in Pain Court today, and visited the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo before it closed.
He says NAFTA is important to the agriculture industry.
“I’ve spoken in the US more than 15 times and been across Canada a number of times, and farmers on both sides of the border fully understand the value of NAFTA. It’s quadrupled our trade, it’s put a lot of money in the pockets of farmers, and I’ve ben speaking to a lot of people who say ‘do not do anything that hurts NAFTA’ and my response to them is ‘you make sure that people who represent you do not do something to hurt NAFTA,” says MacAulay.
MacAulay says the federal government is committed to supporting the dairy industry.
“We’ve made it quite clear – the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, myself, and all the Liberal Party is fully behind supply management system and the dairy industry in this country, the dairy farmers, and all the other farmers involved in supply management. We are the party that implemented supply management and we’re the government that’s going to protect it, and we will,” MacAulay says.
MacAulay spent the morning touring a brussel sprouts packing facility as part of the Growing Canadian Agriculture Tour, and took part in the attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Most People Bobbing for Apples at One Time.
