The Decibel
Dairy’s outsized political influence and the trade war artwork

Dairy’s outsized political influence and the trade war

The Decibel
24:50
Play episode

Show notes

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 35-per-cent tariffs on imports from Canada starting on Aug. 1. And when it comes to trade negotiations, Canadian dairy – and the supply management system that oversees the industry – is treated like a “sacred cow.” Trump has repeatedly aired frustrations over U.S. dairy farmers’ limited access to Canada’s market. Despite this, Ottawa has continued to make efforts to protect the industry from trade negotiations – even while Prime Minister Mark Carney makes other concessions. The Globe’s agriculture and food policy reporter, Kate Helmore, joins the show to explain how supply management works, why it makes negotiating trade deals around dairy so challenging, and just how much political sway the dairy industry has. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

More from this show

More
  1. Why people are taking vacations to pick up new skills

    The demands of modern life seem to grow every day, leaving little time for people to pursue hobbies. Many Canadians are leaving vacation time unused. In light of this, a growing nu…

    18:40
  2. Navigating Canada’s fertility industry

    A growing number of Canadians are struggling with fertility, and the business helping people make babies is booming. The global fertility services market was valued at more than $2…

    30:12
  3. At its core, the Canada-U.S. trade dispute is about autos

    The auto sector is at the heart of trade discussions between Canada and the U.S. Canada’s auto sector has been hit hard over the past year with tariffs from U.S. President Donald…

    24:09
  4. Canada hits U.S. with retaliatory tariffs

    The Canada-U.S. trade war is in full effect. On Tuesday, the federal government announced retaliatory tariffs against the United States. U.S. steel, seafood, dishwashers, forks, a…

    25:57
  5. Canadian businesses prepare for long-haul trade war

    After trade talks broke down between Ottawa and Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump implemented 50-per-cent tariffs on $28-billion dollars worth of Canadian goods. Over the wee…

    27:48
  6. Why Canada’s biggest paid plasma collector has paused operations

    Plasma is the golden fluid part of the blood and it’s used to make life-saving medications for people with immune deficiencies. In Canada, plasma donors were historically volunteer…

    24:37
Now Playing
Dairy’s outsized political influence and the trade war — The Decibel | Josplay Music