In a letter to Albert Doer, Canadian Ambassador to the US, the congressmen stressed the importance of key agricultural market issues, such as those pertaining to dairy trade, which are not yet resolved in TPP.

The aim of the talks, which began in 2011, is to drive growth, as well as improve and simplify trade between 12 countries that border the Pacific Ocean. The participating countries are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, US, Canada and Japan.

Canada has been unwilling to engage seriously in market access discussions regarding dairy since they began, according to the letter from the congressmen.

The writers have stated “the final dairy market access package with Canada will have a significant impact on how Congress views the final agreement. It will be difficult for us to support Canada’s inclusion in TPP if significant new dairy access is not part of the deal.”

The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development dismissed the warning.

It said “our goal is to secure balanced outcomes that benefit all sectors of our economy, across all regions of our country. The government commitment to our supply managed sector has not prevented us from concluding ambitious free trade agreements, such as the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement and the Canada-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

“Our government will continue to promote and defend Canadian trade interests across all sectors of our economy, including supply management. Prime Minister, Stephen Harper will only sign an agreement that’s in Canada’s best interest.”

A spokesperson for Canadian International Trade Minister, Ed Fast, said Canada would not be bullied into negotiating this through the media.

However, the IDFA (International Dairy Foods Association), which represents the interests of the US dairy industry, commended the Congressmen for their strong stance against Canada’s lack of engagement on dairy market access negotiations in the TPP talks.

There would be very little point in Canada holding onto milk production quotas if they allow access to cheaper US dairy products.