Federal Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre says he has no plans to change Canada’s Soviet-style supply management of certain sections of Canada’s agriculture sector..The Calgary-born MP spoke with the Western Standard’s Cory Morgan on his daily show Triggered..Poilievre said he isn’t proposing to change current agriculture price and production controls which create artificially high prices by setting production quotas and large import taxes and prohibitions on imported dairy and other products..“…The reason is that the farmers who own the quota have had to pay millions of dollars for it,” said Poilievre..Farmers must hold a permit, referred to as “quota” to sell their products to a processing plant, which is often more expensive than the farms themselves..“And furthermore, if we brought them [supply management controls] out, then it would cost more to do that than it would to keep the system that is in place right now,” he said. .According to the federal government, the supply management mandate is designed to, in theory, hold an equilibrium where the quantity of food produced equals the demand by buyers. This balance determines the quantity and pricing of goods..Many fiscal conservatives argue it creates artificial monopolies and gauges consumers with high prices..Poilievre said he does support “more choice and freedom in the agriculture sector,” and said he was part of the Harper government when it got rid of the Wheat Board and, “unleashed the productivity of our grains in our Western prairie provinces.”.In an effort to help farmers and ranchers spend more time focusing on producing food rather than dealing with government bureaucracy, Poilievre said he would focus on reducing other taxes and “simplifying regulations.”.During his campaign, Poilievre said he plans to come west and visit his many friends and family, including his Saskatchewan-born parents who reside in Calgary where Poilievre was born and raised..“I want to be prime minister to put you and every Canadian back in control of their own lives by making Canada the freest nation on Earth,” said Poilievre..Poilievre said instead of printing cash, he would remove regulatory gatekeepers to produce more Canadian energy, allow farmers to produce more affordable food and would get regulatory gatekeepers who block housing construction out of the way..“So, in other words, stop printing cash and start creating more of what cash buys. That’s my common-sense solution to just inflation,” said Poilievre..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
