An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management)

This bill makes one change to federal law. It amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to limit what the Minister of Foreign Affairs can agree to when negotiating international trade treaties or agreements on behalf of Canada.

Specifically, the Minister is now barred from making any commitment, through a trade treaty or agreement, that would increase the tariff rate quota for dairy products, poultry, or eggs, or that would reduce the tariff applied to those goods when they are imported beyond the existing quota limits. In practice, this means Canada's "supply management" system for these goods, which relies on tariffs and quotas to limit foreign imports and protect domestic producers, cannot be loosened through future trade negotiations without changing this law first.

The bill does not affect any other goods or trade matters, and it does not change existing trade agreements already in place. It simply restricts the government's negotiating room going forward on this specific issue.

This bill amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to restrict the Minister of Foreign Affairs from making certain international trade commitments affecting dairy, poultry, and egg tariffs.

• Restriction created — the Minister of Foreign Affairs is barred from committing Canada, through any international trade treaty or agreement, to increasing the tariff rate quota (as defined in the Customs Tariff) for dairy products, poultry, or eggs.
• Second restriction — the Minister is also barred from committing Canada to reducing the tariff applied to those same goods when imported above the existing tariff rate quota.
• Scope of the limit — the restriction applies only to commitments made "by international trade treaty or agreement" in the exercise of the Minister's existing powers under subsection 10(2); it does not otherwise change the Minister's general trade-negotiation authority.
• No new body or enforcement mechanism — the amendment does not create any new office, agency, reporting requirement, or penalty; it operates as a constraint written directly into the Minister's statutory duties.
• No sunset or review clause — the restriction is permanent as enacted, with no stated expiry or mandated future review.