Tory leadership hopeful Maxime Bernier wants maple syrup restrictions lifted
OTTAWA — The federal government must use its constitutional powers to give Quebec’s maple syrup producers the right to sell their products as they see fit, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier said Tuesday.
Currently, Quebec’s maple syrup industry is subject to a supply management system and to a federation that dictates market volume.
Bernier told a news conference in Ottawa that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should do away with a decree that gives the federation powers with regard to the commercialization of sap and maple syrup in provincial and international markets.
The Quebec-based MP says the federal government shouldn’t be worried about heeding his advice because the Constitution guarantees open trade among provinces.