AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Stephen Harper arrives in New Zealand today for an official visit with the country’s prime minister that will include discussions on a touchy subject between the otherwise friendly leaders – Canada’s heavily protected dairy sector.
Canada’s so-called supply management system is a sore point in ongoing negotiations on the TransPacific partnership, a massive proposed Asia-Pacific free-trade deal.
The U.S. is pressuring Canada to cut mammoth tariffs on foreign dairy products as a deal inches closer ahead of a critical year-end deadline.
So too is New Zealand, a Pacific region dairy giant that is seeking out new customers.
On the eve of the prime minister’s visit, a New Zealand senior official called the Canadian supply management system “unsustainable” in a global economy.
Simon Tucker, New Zealand’s high commissioner, calls the tensions between Canada and New Zealand over dairy an anomaly in an otherwise warm relationship.
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