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It is no secret that supply management raises the cost of food for all Canadians, to the benefit of a handful of dairy and poultry producers. That’s precisely what the system — which severely restricts the supply of eggs, dairy and poultry products in order to raise their price, and imposes sky-high tariffs on imports to protect domestic producers from foreign competition — was designed to do.

But just how much more do Canadians have to pay for groceries as a result of supply management? And who pays the most? These were the questions three economists from the University of Manitoba tackled in a study published in the March edition of the journal Canadian Public Policy.

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Their report estimates that Canadians pay a premium of at least 62% for eggs and 69% for chicken, on average, compared to our neighbours in the United States. That’s bad enough. But since lower-income Canadians spend a higher percentage of their income on groceries than wealthier families — 16% vs. 8% — supply management amounts to a regressive tax, one that places the greatest burden on those with the fewest resources.