Supply management: a system that works [Video]

During my tenure as Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, trade issues were top of mind for me.

Ontario is an agricultural powerhouse, with 50,000 farms operating on 12 million acres of land, producing more than 200 commodities. Over 820,000 jobs depend on Ontario’s agriculture and food processing sector, and Ontario exports more agri-food products than any other province.

In my view, Canadian farmers produce the best food in the world.

Fifty years ago, two of Canada’s most distinguished agriculture ministers, the Honourable William Stewart in Ontario and the Honourable Eugene Whalen for Canada, introduced supply management to bring stability to egg, dairy, chicken, turkey and hatching egg producers in our nation. They recognized the need for a reliable supply of high-quality, nutritious food staples that would help ensure food …