Most politicians — and Canadians — don’t fully understand how supply management works. But they do know this: it’s politically toxic to criticize. The dairy lobby has a long history of ending political careers, with Maxime Bernier being the most visible casualty. As a result, few dare to question the system, even as its flaws become harder to ignore.

That’s what makes Bill C-202 such a costly miscalculation. Enshrining protection for supply management in federal legislation—effectively removing it from the negotiating table in future trade talks—may go down as one of Parliament’s most economically short-sighted decisions in recent memory.

Rather than strengthening our agri-food sector, the bill ties the hands of Canada’s trade negotiators and signals to global partners that we are inflexible and inward-looking — at a time when diversifying trade relationships should be a national priority.

But beyond the diplomatic damage, Bill C-202 represents a missed opportunity to modernize and reform supply-managed sectors, especially dairy. Unlike........

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