End The Dairy Cartel

Alberta’s future is being held hostage by a federal system designed to benefit Central Canada at our expense.

Nowhere is this clearer than in Canada’s outdated, anti-competitive supply management regime - a system that keeps prices high, limits opportunity, and hands all the power to Quebec.

Last week, at an Alberta Next town hall, Premier Danielle Smith floated the idea of Alberta exiting the national supply management system entirely.

And she’s right to do so.

Right now, Ottawa limits how much dairy and poultry each province’s farmers are allowed to produce - this limit is called a quota. 

Under federal rules, Alberta receives less quota than it should based on its population size. 

That means farmers here can’t produce as much as they potentially could. 

Meanwhile, Quebec and Ontario hold the majority of these production rights, giving their farmers a big advantage. 

This system keeps prices higher for consumers in Alberta and limits opportunities for local farmers to expand and compete.

Not only is it unfair to Alberta’s farmers, it’s hurting Albertans in other ways too.

Our ongoing trade war with the United States is being made worse by this outdated and protectionist system. 

President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new tariffs on Canadian goods - 35% across the board, starting August 1st - and specifically blamed Canada’s dairy policies as one of the reasons for the tariffs. 

He criticized the extreme tariffs Canada imposes on American dairy products, pointing out that US farmers are often blocked entirely from accessing Canadian markets. 

Instead of defending Canadian consumers and exporters, our politicians are doubling down on a broken system that protects a small group of insiders at the expense of everyone else.

Worse still, both the federal Liberals and the federal Conservatives are united in their support of this rigged system. 

Mark Carney has promised that supply management will “never be on the table” during trade negotiations. Pierre Poilievre has also made it clear that he supports keeping the supply management system in place.

When both federal parties agree that Alberta should stay trapped in a broken system that benefits Quebec, you know it’s time for us to start making our own decisions.

This is about more than just milk and eggs.

This is about Alberta’s right to chart its own economic course - to make policy decisions that reflect our needs, not those of Laurentian elites.

Alberta is told to sit down and shut up about a policy that cripples our agriculture sector and keeps grocery prices high.

That’s why we launched the Free Alberta Strategy: to demand structural reform that rebalances Confederation and restores true autonomy to Alberta.

We’re not asking Ottawa for permission anymore.

We’re fighting for a future where Alberta makes its own decisions - about agriculture, energy, healthcare, immigration, and more.

We’re working every day to pressure our provincial leaders to stand up and use the tools we already have. 

If you believe it’s time for Alberta to stop playing by Ottawa’s rules, then please donate today.

Because the longer we wait, the more we lose.

Can you chip in $25, $50, or even $100 today to help us take on Ottawa’s dairy cartel - and win?

Thanks for standing with us - and with Alberta.

— The Free Alberta Strategy Team