Liberal MP Wayne Easter enjoys bringing up Conservative Party statements made before the Conservatives were in power. For instance, Easter noted in the House of Commons last month that in 2004 the Conservatives signed a document that read in part: "A Conservative government will ensure that any agreement which impacts supply management gives our producers guaranteed access to foreign markets, and that there will be a significant transition period in any move towards a market-driven environment."

That, says Easter, reveals the true Conservative agenda: slide away from supply management.

Easter ignores two other factors. One: based on the same criteria the dairy industry itself could be said to being resigned to sliding away from supply management. Several years ago, due to concerns that the end was near, the Dairy Farmers of Ontario was telling farmers not to be in extreme debt over quota. Extreme debt was an amortization of more than 10 years.

The second factor is more telling. The Conservative Party would love to have a majority government and, based on their integrity of doing what they say they will do, Farmers Forum would like to see them get there. But the Conservatives can’t do it without help from Quebec. They are already trying to do it without the eastern city vote. With 124 seats – including 10 Quebec seats — in the 308-seat House of Commons, the Conservatives need another 31 seats to get to majority territory. That means the Conservatives would have to capture almost all of the about 36 other Canadian ridings that are rural or suburban and some of those ridings are in Quebec. In la belle province, supply management is a motherhood issue. Slag it and you might as well send out a videotape of yourself stomping on the Quebec flag.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is an economic libertarian. He believes in a laissez-faire economy, similar to the U.S. system, advocating minimal state intervention in the lives of its citizens. He’s also no fool. He wants Canada to chart a course that its citizens want. Or else he won’t get his majority. As much as he might be personally opposed to regulations and rules, he knows that the philosophical will of his compatriots are not on the same page with him. He also knows that not all industries work better without state intervention and agriculture is one of them (you can’t plan for dumping, drought, disease, and closed borders).

This all boils down to the same result. Harper’s government must support supply management to secure a Conservative future and Harper knows it.