Ottawa, Ont. (Rural Roots Canada) – Canadians overwhelmingly believe the country should maintain control over its food supply, and want Ottawa to stand firm in defending farmers, dairy farmers, and supply management as trade negotiations continue with the United States, according to new polling by Nanos Research.

The survey, commissioned by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, found 91 per cent of Canadians say maintaining Canadian control over the food supply is important, while 68 per cent believe the federal government should strongly defend the interests of dairy farmers during CUSMA negotiations.

Nanos Research chief data scientist Nik Nanos said the findings reflect more than just concerns over agriculture.

“It speaks to the importance of agriculture,” Nanos said in an interview with Rural Roots Canada.

“I think with all the stuff that’s going on with the Canada-U.S. relationship, there’s just a higher level of sensitivity on sovereignty, not just defence sovereignty and economic sovereignty, but food sovereignty.”

Nanos said the level of agreement is remarkable.

“The fact that you can get 9 out of every 10 Canadians to agree on anything is actually quite striking,” he said, noting support cuts across regions, age groups and gender.

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The survey found 64 per cent of Canadians believe the government should defend farmers and supply management during trade negotiations, compared with 21 per cent who would accept concessions to preserve the system and just 10 per cent who favour abandoning supply management altogether.

Nanos said the results suggest Canadians have become more engaged with agricultural policy as trade disputes with the U.S. have intensified.

“I think we’re in an environment now where anything that the Americans say that they want, Canadians are kind of like, ‘Well, let’s just wait a moment,'” he said.

“Because of the discussions on the CUSMA, because of discussions on the trade agreement, they’re learning stuff about how our agricultural sector works, how supply management works.”

While the polling focused on dairy, Nanos said the broader message extends beyond one commodity.

“Canadians are now really tuned into the importance of the agricultural sector,” he said, pointing to agriculture’s role in jobs, exports and Canada’s economy.

He added the findings carry a warning for governments involved in trade talks.

“I think the message is don’t mess things up. Don’t throw farmers under the bus … because if you do, Canadians will be upset. Not just farmers; Canadians will be upset if you mess up agriculture.”