Bill C-216 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill C-216 would prevent the Minister of Foreign Affairs from making trade commitments that increase import quotas or lower tariffs on dairy, poultry, or eggs.
Bill C-216 proposes to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to add a new restriction on the Minister of Foreign Affairs' authority. Under this proposed change, the Minister would not be permitted to make international trade agreements or commitments on Canada's behalf that would: 1. Increase the tariff rate quota for dairy products, poultry, or eggs (meaning allowing more of these goods to enter Canada at a lower import tax); or 2. Reduce the tariff (import tax) applied to these goods when they exceed the current tariff rate quota limit. In practical terms, this bill would limit the government's flexibility in trade negotiations by protecting current import restrictions and tariff levels on these specific agricultural products. This is often referred to as protecting "supply management" — a system where Canadian farmers in these sectors control the supply of their products to support domestic prices.
- Amends the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act by adding a new subsection (2.1) to Section 10
- Restricts the Minister of Foreign Affairs from making international trade agreements or commitments that would increase tariff rate quotas for dairy products, poultry, or eggs
- Restricts the Minister of Foreign Affairs from making international trade agreements or commitments that would reduce tariffs on dairy products, poultry, or eggs when imports exceed the tariff rate quota limit
- Creates a legislative constraint on trade negotiation authority with respect to agricultural supply management products
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Canada's trade negotiation authority
- Dairy farmers and industry in Canada
- Poultry producers in Canada
- Egg producers in Canada
- Canadian consumers and businesses that import or use dairy, poultry, or egg products
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs must not commit the Government of Canada to increasing tariff rate quotas for dairy products, poultry, or eggs through international trade treaties or agreements
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs must not commit the Government of Canada to reducing tariffs on dairy products, poultry, or eggs when those goods are imported in excess of the tariff rate quota through international trade treaties or agreements
- The bill was introduced on February 24, 2020
- As of the provided information, the bill is at second reading in the House of Commons (stage not yet finalized)
- The bill would affect tariff rates (import taxes) on dairy, poultry, and eggs, but does not specify dollar amounts or fiscal impacts
- Potential economic effects would depend on how trade negotiations are affected and whether competing countries retaliate
- The bill text does not specify enforcement mechanisms or penalties if the Minister violates the restriction
- The bill text does not specify what happens if the Government of Canada is required to make such commitments as a condition of a broader trade agreement
- The bill does not define how 'tariff rate quota' operates in practice or reference specific quota numbers
- The bill does not address whether this restriction would apply to provincial governments or other parties involved in trade matters
- The bill does not explain how this restriction would interact with existing international trade obligations Canada may already have
- It is unclear whether court enforcement or parliamentary oversight would ensure compliance with this restriction
- The bill does not specify what 'the effect of' means in determining whether a trade commitment violates the restriction
A new subsection (2.1) is added that restricts the Minister's authority to make trade commitments affecting tariff quotas and tariffs on dairy, poultry, and eggs. The Minister would no longer have full discretion in these specific trade matters.
Source: Section 10 (amended)
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
This House of Commons sitting record on February 24, 2020, shows the introduction of Bill C-216 and extensive debates on other legislative matters, particularly Bill C-6 amending the Citizenship Act.
This document is a record of a sitting of the House of Commons on February 24, 2020, during which Bill C-216, an act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act regarding supply management, was introduced. The record primarily details debates and discussions concerning other matters before the House, including the Citizenship Act (Bill C-6), oral questions on various topics like public safety, the economy, and natural resources, and the introduction of several other bills. The specific procedural step for Bill C-216, its introduction and first reading debate, is noted, but the content of that specific debate is not provided in this excerpt. The record indicates that the sitting included government orders, statements by members, oral questions, routine proceedings, petitions, and adjournment proceedings.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced