Measures protecting Canadian dairy industry under fire at U.S. NAFTA hearing
OTTAWA — Canadian measures to protect the dairy industry came under the microscope at a U.S. congressional hearing on revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement Tuesday, suggesting the Liberal government will have a tough time convincing legislators to look past the long-standing trade irritant.
“We want to end these discriminatory practices,” said Congressman Dave Reichert, the Republican chair of a House of Representatives subcommittee on trade that met in Washington, D.C., to discuss what they would like to see in a new NAFTA deal hammered out between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The Trump administration released a list of its broad goals for the NAFTA talks on Monday, which include expanded access to U.S. agricultural exports.
The 18-page document does not specifically mention the Canadian dairy industry, but said the U.S. wants to reduce or eliminating remaining tariffs, as well as try and get rid of non-tariff barriers to its agricultural exports.