PPC leader Maxime Bernier has proposed a solution to the US-Canada trade war no other federal party leader has acknowledged — abolishing "Canada’s dairy cartel."
Bernier for years has been sounding the alarm on Canada’s Supply Management Agreement, a policy that fixes prices and production on dairy, poultry and eggs, leading to higher prices for Canadians compared to the US.
“We have a cartel in Canada of dairy, poultry and eggs,” Bernier told American podcast InfoWars Friday.
Bernier told host Alex Jones President Donald Trump is aware of the issue and is frustrated with the inability of American dairy producers, particularly in Wisconsin, to export milk to Canada.
The People’s party leader said he personally spoke with Trump about the “legal dairy cartel” operating in Canada more than six years ago.
“[The Canadian government is] fixing the price, they are fixing the production, and we cannot have any imports coming from other countries. So Canadians are paying twice the price for these products, if you compare that with prices in the US,” said Bernier.
“It's a closed economy, on milk, poultry and eggs.”
“So that being said, we need to have the renegotiation of the free trade agreement right now with President Trump, put everything on the table. And you know, the best deal will be no tariff on our side and no tariff on your side.”
Bernier also acknowledged “it's very important [to Trump] that Canada will be serious about security.” Trump when he first proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico in November, cited weak border security that allowed for masses of illegal immigrants and drug trafficking to flood into the US.
“It's serious also for me, as a leader of a national political party, we need to work to secure our borders,” said Bernier.
“We are not investing in our own defense, and we must do that now. If something happened, that would be the US and you guys that we will need your help. I don't want that. You know, I'm fighting for my country to be a sovereign country.”
“Altogether, we can stop that trade war. We can have a deal, and because what Trump is asking for is a real deal with Canada, a real free trade.”
“And as President Trump said, we are imposing, for example, 300% tariffs on the milk, dairy and poultry, so your guys here in the US cannot sell and cannot export these goods to Canada, because it won't be available. It will be too expensive, it won't be competitive.”
“If we don't impose any tariff, we won't tax our own population.”
Bernier discussed the upcoming election, which is expected to be called on Sunday with an April 28 vote, and how all the other party leaders aren’t campaigning against each other, but “campaigning against Trump.”
“We cannot win a trade war. We need to go and sit down. But [Tory leader Pierre] Poilievre and [Prime Minister Mark] Carney, the Liberals and the Conservatives, what they're doing right now, they're doing a campaign against Trump.”
“I'm saying to president Trump, we are not, and we will never be the 51st state, and we need to be independent, and we are, but we need also to have a nice deal with you, because the deal is not good right now.”
