The Rural Voice, 1987-12, Page 14COMPLETE LINE OF
ANIMAL FEED
– Hog
– Veal
– Dairy
tre(eaven'
lit
– Beef
– Poultry
– Pet
wed. to wed.
treleaven's
feed mill ltd.
box 182, lucknow, ont. NOG 2H0
519-528.3000
1800.285.3006
12 THE RURAL VOICE
REASONING ABOUT
THE TRADE PACT
"There arc two ways to slide easily
through life: to believe everything or to
doubt everything; both ways save us from
thinking."
— Alfred Korzybski
It appears that many — poultry
producers, Ontario Minister of Agri-
culture Jack Riddell, and supporters of
the New Democratic Party — doubt
everything regarding freer trade.
Among those who believe every-
thing are the supporters of the federal
government.
Let's start some thinking.
The common first impression after
the deal was signed was that the worst
fears of supporters of supply manage-
ment had come true. Tariffs would
go. This would mean, we assumed,
that prices based on cost of production
could not be maintained.
But the fears have proven ground-
less. Import quotas will be retained.
The only difference is that the global
quota and the supplementary quota
have been joined and averaged. In
addition, no change has been made in
the right to limit imports even more,
as long as it is done within the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade rules.
The Dairy Commission has already
said the dairy industry will at most be
only marginally affected. The Dairy
Commission, at least, is thinking.
Even the wine industry may not
see total destruction. In most pro-
vinces the surcharge on foreign wines
is only marginally higher than that on
Canadian wines. In Ontario the differ-
ence is roughly 65 cents. Will anyone
who buys Canadian wine for the din-
ner table be tempted to change when
the price of California wines drops by
65 cents?
The Canadian industry, in fact,
would do well to use the seven years
during which the pact will be phased
in to come up with superior wines.
And a new twist is added by the
Europeans, who are planning to do,
through the GATT, what free trade
would do to the wine industry. Bilat-
eral free trade makes no difference.
Wheat producers feared that their
two -price market would be lost. Not
so, at least not for the next five years.
If no agreement for replacement is
reached in that time, the higher price
for domestic wheat may stay longer.
From all I have seen so far, it
appears that agriculture is generally
not affected negatively, and in the
meat sectors it will gain.
Premier Peterson's fear that free
trade means that Americans will run
Canada is just clap -trap, a red herring
to divert attention from his weak
stance in opposition to the deal.
Jack Riddell's recent statements
that our wheat quality may be jeopard-
ized have no basis in fact. Canada
will still issue end-user certificates to
prevent this. How silly opposing
arguments can be is demonstrated by
Riddell's assertion that our beef will
be fatter because U.S. beef is.
We must always be aware that
politicians have different reasons for
their actions than non -politicians. The
NDP and the Liberals are there to op-
pose. Their objective is to embarrass
and eventually topple the government.
And so Ed Broadbent, listening to
the spurious arguments of the NDP's
affiliate, the Canadian Labour Con-
gress, opposes freer trade in all its
aspects. The position of Peterson and,
by extension, Jack Riddell, is a little
more complicated. The federal Liber-
als oppose a deal, and the Ontario
Liberals follow suit. Compare the
Liberal opposition to free trade with
Turner's support for the Meech Lake
accord. Here the opposition leader
supports the government on an accord
that is of doubtful benefit to Canada's
future, and that support has fractured
his party.0
ADRIAN VOS, FROM HURON COUNTY,
HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE RURAL
VOICE SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1975.