P.E.I. farmers hear about CUSMA trade deal from chief agricultural negotiator

Island farmers had some tough questionsfor Canada's chief agriculturalnegotiator in last year's re-negotiation ofthe North American Free Trade Agreement.

Aaron Fowler, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, was speaking at theP.E.I. Federation of Agriculture's annual meeting in Charlottetown on Friday.

The focus of the farmers was the dairy industry, supply management and what Canada gave up to keep its trade deal with the United States and Mexico.

"The amount of give that was given up in the supply management industry and particularly the dairy industry is not a position that we want to see future negotiations go," saidDavid Mol, president of the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture.

"Hopefully, this is a one-off that we gave in as much as we did."

'Preserve the benefits'

Fowlerprovided Island farmers with a first-hand account of what went on in the back rooms as the continental trade deal theCanada-U.S.-Mexico Agreementwas put together.

"Our overriding concern was to preserve the benefits that the sector and the economy as a whole had enjoyed for the better part of two-and-a-half decades," said Fowler.

"But this was a very, very difficult negotiation. It was very unusual negotiations and I say that as somebody who has been at several negotiating tables."

Fowler has worked on trade issues for Canada for more than a decade including softwood lumber disputes with the U.S.

He saidthis round of negotiationswas different.

"In some cases, I think the Unites States was satisfied with outcomes that denied certain benefits to Mexico or Canada even if there wasn't an obvious corresponding gain from the perspective of the U.S., so this is a very difficult negotiation for Canada."

Canada ceded ground on some protection of its dairy industry.

Update on trade progress

Fowler gave an update on talks underway with China and other countries for other possible trade deals.

Minister of Agriculture andAgri-FoodCanadaLawrence MacAulaywas also one of the speakers at the federation's meeting.He defended the trade deal Canada got.

"Listen, we got a good deal with the U.S. It's vitally important. Two billion dollars worth of product goes across that border every day," saidMacAulay.

"We all want to make money and we will continue to make money."

Fowlersaid onetakeaway from the CUSMA trade deal is the importance ofdiversity in agricultural trading partners.

That way, Fowler said, if a country like the U.S. says no to Canadian products, other trading nations are lined up.

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