Supply management on the chopping block?

The Trudeau government has vowed to protect Canada's dairy supply management system in trade talks with the Trump administration. But is that a hill worth dying nn?

Now Is the Ideal Time for Canada to End Its Costly and Outdated Dairy Supply Management System | Epoch Times | Cory Morgan:

February 8, 2025 - "Canadians collectively breathed a sigh of relief when President Trump offered a reprieve [from] the proposed 25 percent tariff on Canadian trade goods. The trade war is not over, however. It has been put on pause for 30 days. As the deadline approaches ... the Trump administration will make new demands, and Canada’s dairy supply management system will be targeted. Canadian ministers recognize this threat, as International Trade Minister Mary Ng made it clear in a recent interview that there will be no concessions made on supply management.

"Is this a reasonable stance to take? There are several reasons why it may be time for Canada to shed its supply management system.

"Canada imposes tariffs as high as 325 percent on American dairy products such as butter. Credibility in trade negotiations is essential, and it’s difficult to call Trump’s threat of 25 percent tariffs unfair when insisting on maintaining Canadian tariffs that are 10-fold higher in this specific sector.... A major trade deal with the UK was scuttled in 2024 when Canada slapped a 245 percent tariff on UK cheese. Both Australia and New Zealand have accused Canada of dumping dairy products on the international market, threatening the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership....  

"Canada already literally dumps hundreds of millions of litres of milk down the drain every year due to supply management. Dairy farmers have quotas assigned to them, and if they produce milk beyond that quota, it is illegal to sell the products. They are forced to dump it either down the drain or in offshore sales. They can’t sell it to Canadians as it would lead to a reduction in domestic dairy prices..... In any other industry, such price-fixing would be illegal.

"The trade war has led to calls for Canada to reduce interprovincial trade barriers on products and services. Improving domestic trade within Canada would reduce reliance on foreign products. But Canada’s supply management greatly hinders interprovincial trade, as provincial dairy boards set local quotas and control the movement of products between provinces to ensure prices remain high.... Canadian households pay an extra $300 to $444 annually due to the system, and the costs continue to rise.

"Canada’s dairy supply management has decimated small family-run dairy operations as larger corporate operations have bought up and jealously held onto government-issued dairy quotas. In 1991, Canada had 60,495 dairy producers. Today, there are fewer than 10,000.... The bulk of Canada’s large dairy operators have concentrated in Quebec. While Quebec accounts for 23 percent of Canada’s population, it accounts for 37 percent of the country’s dairy production. Canadian politicians are always averse to taking policy stances that may upset Quebec. This problem is more acute now as an election looms.

"Supply management systems were implemented in other nations in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, most countries phased out the systems as they recognized it harmed the citizens and industries it was supposed to protect. New Zealand got rid of supply management in 1984, and Australia in 2000. The dairy industries in both countries have flourished in response. The model to extricate a nation from supply management already exists. Canada can follow it....

"Canada’s dairy supply management system is costly and outdated. It isn’t a hill worth dying on in a trade war. Now is the perfect time to move on from it."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/cory-morgan-now-is-the-ideal-time-for-canada-to-end-its-costly-and-outdated-dairy-supply-management-system-5806544

Supply management: The argument for and against, and why Trump hates it | CBC News: The National | July 12, 2018:

CapitalismAndMorality conference held in Calgary

Capitalists confront sacred cows in Calgary | Western Standard | Fergus Hodgson: 

May 27, 2024 - "CapitalismAndMorality has been gathering for 15 years in Vancouver, with as much of a penchant for political incorrectness as for libertarian thought. Since 2023, Calgary has hosted its own one-day franchise, advertised by local organizers Darcy Gerow and Clayton Reeder as bringing 'together some of the finest minds to discuss the economics and philosophy of liberty.' This weekend's event — held Saturday at the Danish Canadian Club — had a lineup of seven speakers and a four-man panel. They lived up to CapitalismAndMorality's rebel reputation for the roughly 60 attendees.

"Event founder Jayant Bandhari addressed Canada's changing demographics and soaring immigration. A native of India, Bandhari contends that Indian culture will eventually dominate Canada, given the prevalence of Indian and other South Asian immigrants. Bandhari dismissed European civilization as on its last legs, leaving East and Southeast Asia to fill the vacuum.

"Retired Manitoba judge Brian Giesbrecht added spice to the menu by explaining the myth of residential-school mass graves. The Assembly of First Nations, Giesbrecht said, 'has milked this issue for all it's worth.' He added that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to back the notion of indigenous genocide was likely his worst decision among many bad decisions.

"The final panel, 'Secession, Separatism, Independence,' was led by Gerow and demonstrated the welcome for different perspectives: from anarcho-capitalists to classical liberals and sovereigntists. Michael Wagner of Edmonton is an established Christian-conservative columnist with the Western Standard and an author who advocates Alberta separatism. Flanking him were this article's writer (Fergus Hodgson) and Cory Morgan, a show host and fellow Western Standard columnist but a self-described libertarian. They are the authors of Time to Leave (2024), Financial Sovereignty for Canadians (2024), and The Sovereigntist's Handbook (2023), respectively....

Corey Morgan speaking at CapitalismAndMorality conference. Photo by Western Standard.

"Brett Oland, CEO of Bow Valley Credit Union ... conveyed his concerns about central-bank digital currencies — given the prospect of surveillance and social control — and endless inflation of fiat currencies. His organization holds precious metals on its balance sheet, and he is building parallel, competitive currencies for Albertans....

"Libertarian Party leader Jacques Boudreau traveled from Petrolia, Ontario, for the event. An actuary by trade, he spoke about Canada's precarious finances. He is pessimistic about the political class facing up to the crisis, concealed via unfunded liabilities and layering across levels of government. He foresees dwindling returns on pensions and higher taxes and/or reduced social services.... Boudreau thought the limited attendance was 'shameful' given 'the brainpower of the people who presented … It would make any Liberal MP's head explode'.... 

"Organizer Gerow shared that he was ambivalent about politicians speaking at the event. However, he acknowledged that the previous year's event had a higher attendance on account of leader of the People's Party of Canada Maxime Bernier's presence. Gerow wants the event to be educational and not promote a specific political party. Boudreau respected that request and his presentation, 'Government & Immorality,' had barely a mention of his party affiliation. That fit with an audience without any apparent consensus affiliation of its own. Likely, attendees included apolitical types among supporters of the United Conservative Party, People's Party, Libertarian Party, and secessionist-inclined parties.

"Gerow was still pleased with the turnout and said the attendees tended to be the core of the Calgary Libertarian Meetup Group, which hosts monthly gatherings. His hope is to cultivate a free-thinking, supportive community via in-person events, in addition to whatever educational material is conveyed at the same time. For those who cannot be there, CapitalismAndMorality has shared content online for free, thus echoing it well beyond the audience on the day."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/capitalists-confront-sacred-cows-in-calgary/54844

Trudeau gov't tables Online Harms Bill C-63

Any Good in Ottawa’s Online Harms Bill Is Overshadowed by Its ‘Hate Speech’ Provisions | Epoch Times | Cory Morgan:

Feruary 26, 2024 - "It’s been a long time in coming and now the government has finally tabled a new version of its Online Harms Act (Bill C-63).... The full title of Bill C-63 is: 'An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts.' It’s quite a mouthful and it reflects a bill that’s trying to take on many issues at once....

"There is a lot to unpack in the bill and there are some good regulations within it.... Child pornography is a scourge that must be pursued and prosecuted with the utmost vigour. The internet has offered a platform that has allowed the production and distribution of child pornography to flourish. We need to give law enforcement, government agencies, and internet providers tools to try and protect children and hold those exploiting children to account.... That said, the world has changed.... On websites that have hundreds of thousands if not millions of interactions per day, it can be tough to keep up with what’s being posted. The legislation must give providers reasonable timelines and means to keep inappropriate content under control....

"As always, the devil will be in the details. The bill calls for the establishment of a 'Digital Safety Office of Canada' to administer the whole thing. Forming a new bureaucracy rarely leads to a more efficient administration of laws or regulations no matter how well-intentioned the action was. It also raises the scary prospect that a few bureaucrats can decide what content is harmful.

"The bill also calls for revisions to the Criminal Code to increase the maximum sentences for hate propaganda. It specifies increasing the sentence for promoting genocide from a maximum of five years to a life sentence. This is where this bill is going to get into trouble. For one, the nation can’t even settle on what the definition of genocide is anymore. It can range from calling for the extermination of a race to opposing the changing of gender pronouns in schools. Secondly, while the promotion of real genocide is odious and could indeed earn criminal sanction, offering a penalty of a life sentence is beyond reasonable. Even murderers in Canada often don’t get life sentences. This is just inviting legal challenges.

"The bill delves into hate speech and further empowerment of the Human Rights Commission. It is returning restrictions on expression and speech that went too far in the past which is why the Harper government rescinded Section 13 of the Human Rights Act. Speech was being unduly infringed upon and the commission was overstepping its bounds. The new definitions of criminal hate speech will surely land in our courts, too.

"Bill C-63 has some merit but the bill may be lost due to the government’s zeal in trying to pack hate speech provisions into it. If the child protection section could be broken free into a bill of its own, it could be a fine piece of legislation." 

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/cory-morgan-any-good-in-ottawas-online-harms-bill-is-overshadowed-by-its-hate-speech-provisions-5595592

Bill to combat harmful online content | CBC News: The National | February 26, 2024: 

Trudeau's carbon tax flip-flop backfires

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's attempt to shore up his plummeting support in Atlantic Canada, by offering selective exemptions to his signature carbon tax, appears to have backfired. 

Trudeau drops carbon tax on heating oil, increases rebate for Atlantic Canadians | Western Standard | Christopher Oldcorn:

October 26, 2023 - "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there will be changes to the carbon tax to help people in rural areas and those who use heating oil to heat their homes.... Trudeau made the announcement after the Liberals support in the Atlantic provinces plummeted in recent polls, a traditional stronghold for the Liberals. On Thursday afternoon, Trudeau said people living in rural areas will get a bigger carbon tax rebate. There will be no carbon tax on home heating oil for three years. Also, people who change their heating to use heat pumps will become part of a lucrative rebate program.  

"Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre accused Trudeau of 'flipping and flopping on the carbon tax' because the Liberals support plummeted in the polls.... The Liberals have taken a major hit in support in Atlantic Canada since the carbon tax started in July for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick because the provincial programs did not meet the federal carbon tax requirements....

"In 2022, the Conservatives asked the government not to include home heating fuels in the carbon tax, but [that] was struck down when most of the Liberal and NDP MPs voted against it."
Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/trudeau-drops-carbon-tax-on-heating-oil-increases-rebate-for-atlantic-canadians/49748

Poilievre's Carbon Tax Motion Could Put Trudeau's Leadership on the Line | Epoch Times | Cory Morgan: 

November 3, 2023 - "Opposition motions in the House of Commons are usually little more than political theatre.... The motion being considered in Parliament next week is different.... The motion put forth by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre ... calls for pausing the application of the carbon tax for all forms of home heating in Canada. From a tactical perspective, the motion is a political masterstroke. No matter which way the motion goes, Trudeau loses.

"The irony of this hopeless political trap is that Trudeau set it himself when he carved out a carbon tax exemption for homes using heating oil. Rather than bolstering his flagging support in Atlantic Canada with the move, Trudeau has created a political catastrophe for himself and his party.

"Since becoming prime minister in 2015, Trudeau has made fighting climate change his top focus. He has framed climate change as an existential threat to the world and created an ever-increasing carbon tax as his tool to reduce Canadian emissions. He has stood firm through political opposition and court battles against the tax, and the tax has become his signature policy.... If indeed the carbon tax is essential in saving the world from climate change, how on earth could Trudeau selectively apply it in good conscience? In suspending the tax for a region where he needs to garner political support, he is saying political expediency is more important than fighting climate change.

"The regionally targeted suspension of the carbon tax did manage to unify some regions and political figures that usually don’t agree on many things. Calls for the suspension of the carbon tax on all forms of home heating have erupted across the country, from B.C.’s NDP government to Alberta’s UCP government to Ontario’s PC government. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and former premier Rachel Notley are typically mortal political enemies but they are united in calling for the suspension of the carbon tax on natural gas heat.... Trudeau must be very concerned with the commitment of federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to support Poilievre’s motion to suspend the carbon tax.... 

"The rumblings within the Liberal Party are getting louder. Potential Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney recently sounded as if he was going into campaign mode as he questioned the Liberal path on the carbon tax. Liberal-appointed senator and elder statesman Percy Downe was more blunt as he called for Trudeau’s resignation before the next election. There are many Liberal MPs from regions where natural gas heating is common, and their constituents will not be impressed as their heating costs rise due to the carbon tax while other regions get a pass."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/cory-morgan-poilievres-carbon-tax-motion-could-put-trudeaus-leadership-on-the-line-5522722

How big of an issue is carbon pricing to voters? | Power Play with Todd van der Heyden | CTV News:

Danielle Smith wins majority government in Alberta

Danielle Smith won. Danielle Smith Derangement Syndrome lost | Substack - Andrew Lawton:

May 30, 2023 - "Danielle Smith won Alberta’s general election last night, just under eight months after winning over the UCP and becoming premier.... Her win is a strong rebuke to the myriad commentators who claimed she was too 'radical,' too 'crazy,' and too 'far-right' to win over anyone but her own party’s loyal members. Throughout the campaign, the media obsessed over whose wedding she attended, which of Albertans’ concerns she’d hear out, and even what a tattoo she has really means. (I’m not joking). 

"But through it all, voters saw the real Danielle Smith, who put in the time and effort to rebuild her reputation and listen to Albertans... Not only is she amiable and compassionate, but also tremendously smart. She was successful as a broadcaster and a business advocate because she was unafraid to delve into the details and try to find solutions to complicated policy problems, from healthcare to energy and beyond. When it mattered during the Covid era, Smith was a culture warrior. She stood up for religious freedom despite not being religious herself and fought against vaccine passports and mandates when her party, then led by Jason Kenney, embraced them....

"The NDP and media (a distinction often not worth making in Alberta) attempted to pluck out whatever unflattering bits of Smith’s past work they could, but it didn’t stick. I wish Smith had been firmer in standing by some of her past statements throughout the campaign, but I realize politics is often about choosing battles. (In general, conservative politicians need to choose more of them). However, while the NDP was scouring through old Facebook Lives, Smith was pitching Alberta voters on a message of hope....

"A couple of weeks ago, NDP leader Rachel Notley held a press conference to appeal to conservative voters, who she presumed hated Smith so much they’d prefer to vote NDP. (Notley’s purported desire to reach conservative voters didn’t stop her from repeatedly banning conservative journalists from her press conferences). The move was as transparent as it was arrogant: the NDP tried to paint Danielle Smith as being outside the realm of acceptability.

"Now, the joke’s on the NDP and those who so eagerly carried water for them in the media. It’s Notley who was evidently out of the realm of what Albertans found acceptable. If Notley was as eager as she claims she is to purge Alberta politics of radicals, perhaps she should have stepped down as leader last night. In electing the UCP, voters rejected the smears and proved the NDP and its media allies failed in their attempts to make Smith into an absurd caricature."

Read more: https://andrewlawton.substack.com/p/danielle-smith-won-danielle-smith

Danielle Smith speaks after UCP victory | ALBERTA ELECTION | CTV News } May 30, 2023:

The only person who can stop Danielle Smith now is Smith herself | Western Standard - Cory Morgan:

May 30, 2023 - "When Smith invoked the late Ralph Klein in referencing his 'miracle on the prairie', she wasn't drawing an unfair parallel.... When Klein took the reins of the Progressive Conservative Party in the early 1990s, the party was in serious trouble. It was polling at 20% against Lawrence Decore's Liberals, and many were declaring the Progressive Conservatives as electorally dead in the water. The elites and chattering classes dismissed Klein as an uneducated bumpkin who stumbled his way into the premiership and who would become little more than a footnote in political history. Voters felt otherwise and gave Ralph Klein a reduced majority government.... The Alberta establishment was aghast and humbled. 

"Fast forward to 2022 and we saw the governing UCP polling as low as 22% under the leadership of Jason Kenney. When Kenney was replaced by Danielle Smith, the usual establishment suspects were all but confident this would be the beginning of the end of the UCP's reign.... Smith proved her detractors wrong and pulled a reduced majority win from what was the most personal and negative provincial election campaign in living memory. While she may have fewer seats than the 1993 PCs did under Klein, she has a larger segment of popular support. Klein garnered 44.5% support in 1993. Smith's UCP took 52.6% of the electorate. Her opponents can no longer claim she hasn't a mandate from Albertans.... 

"The election may be behind Smith now, but her opponents are far from gone. Notley is remaining as leader of the NDP for now which ensures the negative tone of opposition will continue. Legacy media is as biased against Smith as ever and they will pan every move she makes.... Unions, academics and media will all oppose Smith's every move just as they did with Klein. People within Smith's own party will get nervous as opposition to her policies mounts. She will need to ignore her opponents and reassure her allies....

"Smith has a mandate and she needs to pursue it. She can't succumb to the temptation to pull the political reform band aid off slowly through minor, incremental policy changes. For one thing, her opponents will go wild when she makes even minor changes. Secondly, that's how Jason Kenney tried to govern and look how well that turned out. 

"Albertans are willing to embrace positive political changes even when it comes to the healthcare system and the pension plan. Smith needs to bring about reforms quickly and to offer no quarter to opponents to her work. Changes need to be made in her first two years in power so positive results can be measured before she faces the electorate again. She can't let civil servants, union heads or her own advisors slow-roll her mandate. Hesitation would be her undoing."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/morgan-the-only-person-who-can-stop-danielle-smith-now-is-smith-herself/article_1831369c-ff27-11ed-9781-abd495aa68df.html

Freedom Convoy 2022 needs an end game

MORGAN: Truckers convoy needs an end game | Western Standard - Cory Morgan: 

February 1, 2022 - "The Truckers for Freedom convoy made headlines around the world and inspired similar actions from as far away as Australia and Bolivia. The movement has already been a success as it demonstrated the number of Canadians becoming fed up with COVID-19 restrictions is growing and represents a sizable number of citizens. Decision makers may deny it, but the protests will be influencing their policy choices in days to come. The convoy also exposed the rotten underbelly of Canada’s legacy media establishment as slanted coverage repulsed Canadians and even Americans.... 

"Polls indicate a majority of Canadians support ending pandemic restrictions and provinces such as Saskatchewan are doing just that. Even Quebec has backed off on its plan to try to tax unvaccinated people, ostensibly to offset health care costs. Support for freedom and ending pandemic mandates is growing. The Truckers for Freedom protesters have great forward momentum right now, but they have reached a critical point in their protest. They need to start planning an end game involving reasonable goals or they will quickly lose public support and the ground they have gained.... 

"The only formal demands from the leadership of the Truckers for Freedom convoy that can be found right now are an absurd 'memorandum of understanding' calling for the governor-general and/or the Canadian senate to intervene and remove Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from power. OK kids, not only is that based on an incorrect interpretation of how our parliamentary democracy works, it would never happen even if it was politically possible.... If there are other demands out there, the convoy organizers need to compile them and do a formal press release. I am as aware as anybody how rotten the mainstream press is, but if demonstrators don’t get their point of view out there, the narrative will be taken over on their behalf.

"The convoy can demand an end to all federal restrictions. That’s within the power of the government and many don’t see that as being an unreasonable request. Again, though, it has to be done realistically and they have to look reasonable when demanding it.... The government can’t and won’t let itself appear to completely cave to a protest. Just won’t happen. They may start discussions on timelines or incremental policies to rescind. If the government refuses to even discuss those considerations, the convoy protesters look like the reasonable party in this issue and will maintain public support.

"The Trudeau Liberals are looking unreasonable here.... Their insults and vilification of the protests are only making them look worse. If they continue to look intractable on the entire issue, they can be painted as the group prolonging the protests. Protests are a battle to win public support. People will favour a group that appears to be rational and controlled. They will quickly turn on a group that appears unreasonable.

"Time will become the enemy of the Truckers for Freedom protest as well. The longer they remain entrenched, the more likely it will be for somebody to do something stupid. An eager mainstream media is waiting to pounce on any violent or hateful actions in order to try and paint the entire protest as being that way. While the vast majority of the protesters are good people, there will always be some nuts in the mix..... 

"What we have now is a standoff. The government is not eager for scenes of police arresting demonstrators and trucks being towed. They can’t let Ottawa remain choked by these trucks interminably either. The convoy is holding some cards here and can make some gains. If the convoy loses enough public support, rest assured the Liberal government will feel emboldened to move in with force and it will be ugly. Nobody will win in that scenario....

"The convoy can remain unreasonable and stubborn. They can lose public support as time passes and can end with an ignoble eviction from Parliament Hill eventually. This will have the effect of setting back future grassroots citizens’ actions.... The demonstrators need a plan and an end game or the power will be stripped from them eventually." 

Read more: https://westernstandardonline.com/2022/02/morgan-truckers-convoy-needs-an-end-game/

Libertarian Morgan running for privacy and property rights

Libertarian candidate joins campaign trail | High River Times - Kevin Rushworth:

September 10, 2015 - "A reduction to the size and responsibilities of government lies at the heart of the Libertarian Party of Canada’s platform, but for Foothills candidate Cory Morgan, his campaign will focus on speaking up for vital privacy and property rights.

"In an interview with the High River Times, Morgan, who calls Priddis home, said his election campaign would bring issues to light, those of which that wouldn’t otherwise be addressed.

"'Whereas I used to be supportive of the Harper government, after eight consecutive deficits, I’m not seeing a small government model here, nor any indication that it’s going to be coming,' he said.

"In the Foothills riding itself, it was the RCMP search and seizure of firearms in High River during the flood recovery which stirred him to run for federal office.

"'As a libertarian, I find that reprehensible,' he noted, referring to what he called the gross violation of people’s property rights. 'I do want to make sure people don’t forget what happened down there.'

"Just as the events of 2013 inspired him, Morgan campaigns for small, responsible government. The Libertarian Party of Canada operates in a laissez-faire government 'hands-off' approach....

"Morgan, who operates Water’s Edge Pub, noted his campaign will only be part time because the party is smaller and only has a limited budget. More literature and signs will appear in weeks to come, he said....

"'Giving it a little time, I think the small government values resonate with a great deal of people,' he added, noting that the Libertarian Party is currently in a growth period.

"Morgan is no stranger to the political process and previously ran as a Wildrose Party candidate for the Calgary-Mountainview constituency in the Alberta provincial election in 2008."

Read more: http://www.highrivertimes.com/2015/09/10/libertarian-candidate-joins-campaign-trail
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