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October 14th, 2018

NDP Commits to Defending Quebeckers' Interests in Free Trade Agreements

On Saturday afternoon, at the federal NDP’s Quebec section convention, members voted in favour of an emergency resolution condemning the Liberals for the sacrifices made on the back of Quebec in the renegotiation of NAFTA.

"It is clear that more and more, there’s a new trend with the Liberals: sacrifice Quebec in order to please powerful trading partners and large multinationals. We already have too many examples with Netflix, Davie, supply management breaches and tax havens," said NDP deputy International Trade critic Karine Trudel. "For me, it's clear. Quebecers deserve a government that will defend their interests and fight for their interests during the negotiation of commercial agreements.”

The emergency resolution denounces, among other things, the losses that will be suffered by producers under supply management and aluminum. It must be remembered that Quebec is the province that produces the most milk and produces 90% of Canada's aluminum. The resolution also addresses the danger to Quebec culture since the Liberals failed to include digital platforms in the cultural exception. Finally, it criticizes the new agreement which will only increase the cost of certain drugs, when Quebec is already the province where drugs are the most expensive.

"During their three years in power, the Liberals sacrificed our dairy farmers three times and cost them hundreds of millions of dollars. Several regions of Quebec are suffering. At some point, it has to end," added Trudel, who is the NDP MP for Jonquière. "On our side, we are committed to defending supply management in its entirety, to supporting the aluminum industry, to taking steps to lower drug prices, instead of increasing them, and to firmly protect without hindsight Quebec culture, that is faced with significant threats from other countries and foreign companies."