Ottawa—A public opinion poll has found 9 in 10 Canadians want their dairy, eggs, chicken and turkey to come from Canadian farms.
The poll was conducted by Abacus Data of Ottawa for Chicken Farmers of Canada, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Egg Farmers of Canada, Turkey Farmers of Canada, and the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers.
The results show “Canadian consumers place high importance on domestically produced dairy, eggs, chicken, and turkey, with 89 per cent prioritizing purchases from Canada, and this sentiment is consistent across various demographics and political affiliations,” said Abacus whose polling is generally well regarded.
The emphasis on Canadian products was particularly strong among lower-income households. An overwhelming 97 per cent of Canadians value having robust domestic food supply chains to ensure year-round food availability, with over half considering it extremely important.
Other observations Abacus made from the data it collected was that 94 per cent of Canadians “prioritize food from farms with mandatory, audited safety and animal care programs, and a similar percentage view positively the food produced under Canada's supply management system, which mandates these standards.”
The information came out just days after the Commons voted strongly to pass Bloc Quebecois MP Luc Theriault’s bill to prevent the dairy and poultry sectors from undergoing further market share losses to imported products under any new trade deals.
That bill is headed for the Senate and might be in line for the same kind of disruptive treatment Liberals senators have inflicted on Huron-Bruce Conservative MP Ben Lobb’s bill to exempt farmers from paying the carbon tax on propane and natural gas used in grain drying and barn and greenhouse heating and cooling.
Domestic food security and fostering a safe supply of staple food products are of utmost importance to Canadians, Abacus said. That sentiment is strong among “those who may experience food security challenges.”
The poll noted that the dairy and poultry sectors support more than 339,000 jobs, contribute $30.1 billion to Canada’s GDP and pays $5.95 billion in taxes annually.
The poll, conducted in mid-November, had a sample size of 2,000 adult Canadians. More information on what it found along with a primer on how supply management works are available on its website-https://www.abacusdata.ca
This news report was prepared for National Newswatch.