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Yet, even now, with the TPP in sight, the government continues publicly to profess undying support for it. A spokesman for International Trade Minister Ed Fast denied a report indicating Harper would approve the pact even if it meant a surge in poultry and dairy imports, attesting that the government is committed to supply management.

We can only hope that this is a lie — or if you like, a shade of emphasis. The government may wish to suggest to the farm lobby that it fought the good fight at the negotiating table, but was ultimately forced to concede. Again, so be it — as long as the ultimate result is supply management’s demise. To sacrifice access to a market of 800 million, for fear of a few thousand dairy farmers, is not an option that bears serious consideration.

Indeed, whatever the political costs for the Conservatives in the deal, there is also considerable political opportunity — to flush out the opposition parties’ positions on free trade. NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair insists his party’s reflexive opposition to trade deals is a thing of the past. But he also argues that supply management “works” and deserves continued protection. So, which way will he jump, if it comes to it? Whether he’s able to move beyond sectional interests and embrace the benefits of trade will be a key test of his claim that the party can be trusted as a reliable manager for Canada’s $2-trillion economy.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, like Mulcair, needs to demonstrate he has the aptitude to run a country rather than just a party. Past Liberal practice has been to question free trade in opposition while embracing it in office. Trudeau supported CETA, which he hailed as a chance to “remove trade barriers, widely expand free trade between Canada and the European Union and increase opportunity for the middle class.” The TPP represents no less such opportunity. By signalling Liberal support for Canada’s part in the pact, Trudeau could underline his party’s appreciation of the crucial role free trade plays in national prosperity and put to rest any suspicions it still harbours the sort of doubts that led it to oppose the original Canada-U.S. free trade deal.

Canada is a trading nation. It is time for all three parties to demonstrate their commitment to that idea.

National Post