CANADIAN Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
appears to have given ground to US President Donald Trump on access to
Canada's protected dairy market, if the rage of Canadian farmers is
anything to go by.
Mr Trudeau is under fire from farmers at
home for saying he's flexible on increasing access to the country's
dairy industry, a change sought by Donald Trump in NAFTA talks, reports
Bloomberg.
Trudeau said US sought access on "certain agriculture products like dairy", Mr Trudeau told NBC's Meet the Press.
Asked if he were conceding the point, Mr Trudeau said: "We're moving
towards flexibility in those areas that I thought was very, very
promising."
Dairy Farmers of Canada president Pierre Lampron said Mr Trudeau's comments were "deeply
troubling," given repeated pledges of support by Trudeau and his
lawmakers for the sector.
Canada had dug in on the dairy issue in the face of US demands, calling it a non-starter.
Mr Trump has regularly criticised Canada's system. "They must open their
markets and take down their trade barriers!" he said in a tweet.
Canada's system of quotas and tariffs for dairy, poultry and eggs, known
as supply management, is something of a sacred cow - all major
political parties support it
President Trump and US House Speaker Paul Ryan, who hails from
dairy-producing Wisconsin, are up in arms about Canada's system. Mr Ryan
has said NAFTA's biggest problem "comes from the north".
http://www.shippingazette.com/menu.asp?encode=eng
|
Back:
Next:
