Why is your milk so expensive compared to the USA? After an extended price hike due to the volatility of core consumer goods inflation, a 3.78L US gallon of milk is now back to sub-4 USD.
> The dairy sector is different because since the 1970s it has been subject to supply management. Basically, it’s a government-sanctioned cartel: The Canadian Dairy Commission dictates the precise amount of milk produced every month in the country and uses this top-down control to keep dairy prices artificially high. Similar systems are also in place for chicken, turkey and eggs.
> The Canadian dairy sector can do this without fear of international competition because foreign imports are subjected to prohibitive tariffs of up to 300 per cent; this is why border guards will often explicitly ask you if you have any cheese in your luggage (and why the police keep busting cheese-smuggling rings).
Its a cartel. But, honestly, the quality of Canadian diary is one of the few things Canada has going for it. I remember first tasting sour cream in the US - yuck. I thought Id accidentally bought the light versions.
(In cheese the US regains the advantage though - Quebec cheese is decent , but doesn't hold a candle to European cheeses that are available in US grocery stores for much lower prices)
Also like… what sort of dairy industry would we have otherwise?
The US is right next door to… everywhere here. Anything we can do, they can _probably_ do cheaper. Do we want access to basic staples to be at the whim of US policy and production?
I know we’re basically joined at the hip anyway (our economy is basically as a cheaper source of manufacturing and services for the US… and resource extraction for the US), but if we want to keep up the idea of being a separate nation it’s probably good we can at least provide basic staples for our own populace.