Dairy looms as 11th hour NAFTA irritant as Trump advisers press for concessions
OTTAWA — Canada’s protected supply-managed dairy industry emerged as a major 11th-hour irritant as the Trudeau government returned Tuesday to what could be the final, pivotal round of talks to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Two of Donald Trump’s top lieutenants turned up the heat on Canada to open up the protected sector that the U.S. president has repeatedly attacked. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remained unmoved.
The pressure came one day after the U.S. president again blasted the Canadian dairy industry during his announcement of a trade agreement with Mexico that he said could replace NAFTA.
Late Tuesday, the Globe and Mail reported that Ottawa was prepared to make concessions to Washington on Canada’s dairy market. The offer, the report said, is part of an effort to save a dispute-settlement system within NAFTA, maintain safeguards for cultural industries and avert tougher pharmaceutical patent protections.