Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says pulling out of the supply management quota is an idea worth considering, citing fairness for dairy, poultry, and egg producers.Alberta producers do not have their share of quota, said Smith in an interview with the Western Standard's Nigel Hannaford.“They kind of locked in Quebec as the largest producer, and then they also have an increase in the amount of quota that they get as their population increases,” Smith said.According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec and Ontario producers hold the highest percentage of Canada’s total milk quota. Quebec holds around 37% and Ontario holds 32%.“Alberta only has about 7% even though we are about 12% of the population,” Smith said..‘ALBERTA HAS AN OTTAWA PROBLEM ’: Smith, panel hear from the public in Edmonton.“So, if the idea behind supply management was that the producers in a jurisdiction are supposed to be able to be matched with the consumers, it's just simply not fair. And our producers, if they do want to be able to increase their operation, have to pay a much, much higher price for quota.”The idea of pulling out of the quota system was brought forward by a Red Deer resident in an Alberta Next panel town hall that was held Tuesday evening, where hundreds of Albertans took part. The resident asked whether Alberta could opt out of the national system.“And I think the implication was, could we create our own provincial system? And, you know, I want to talk with the producers and see what they think about that,” Smith added.“There are also those who think that we should move to a market-based system altogether. So, let's have the conversation.”Quota systems are not always fair, according to Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University..Alberta Next panel’s tax collection plan: Here's what you need to know.He says a system that depends on the market means basing the prices on supply and demand.If Alberta pulls out of the quota system, it would not be bound anymore to smooth out supply to keep prices from rising. This means Alberta farmers will be able to price their products according to supply and demand. So, if they’re having a good year and demand is high, they can benefit from high prices, generating more income, according to Lander. However, if something happens and they’re not able to produce or if demand is low, they could lose.“Every province has some form of agrarian and farming industry. It's impossible not to in Canada, but clearly the biggest proportion of those is in the Prairie provinces. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are going to have huge amounts of those industries relative to other provinces,” Lander said.“In Quebec, dairy farms are going to be a huge portion that even the Prairies don't compete with. But when it comes to, say, chicken and eggs, the Prairies, of course, are huge as well, so they can both be beneficiaries, and they can also both be damaged by having the supply management, depending on what the market would be doing and how they're locked in relative to that market.”During the federal election campaign in April, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to keep supply management off the table amid United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs threat. According to Lander, Canada could have simply used the supply management quota as a tool to negotiate a trade deal with the US..EXCLUSIVE: UCP members propose party vote on Alberta independence.For example, Canada could have suggested ending the quota in return for zero tariffs, Lander explained.Albertans will have the opportunity to decide on multiple topics, including federal transfers and equalization, the Alberta Pension Plan (APP), constitutional changes, a provincial police force, immigration, and tax collection as a referendum is coming in 2026.The next Alberta Next panel is set to take place in Edmonton on August 14. More information is available online..Political scientists say UCP members' demand to vote for Alberta independence ‘inevitable’
