But newly released documents reveal a much larger story. 

# Questions that need answers

Canadians deserve answers to a few straightforward questions.

How much taxpayer money has ultimately been invested in the project?

How much supply-managed Canadian milk is being used to manufacture products destined for foreign markets?

What volumes have already been exported, and to which countries?

And perhaps most importantly: If supply management is about food sovereignty, why are Canadians being asked to subsidize a Chinese-owned dairy processor exporting products made from quota-protected Canadian milk?

Supply management remains one of the most politically protected policies in Canada. Liberals defend it. Conservatives rarely challenge it. The Bloc Quebecois treats it as untouchable. Yet public confidence in any public policy depends on transparency.

Canadians who pay a premium every time they buy dairy products deserve to know who benefits from the system, how it is being used, and whether public investments remain aligned with its original purpose.

This is really an accountability story. And before Canada enters another round of trade negotiations, Ottawa should be able to answer a simple question: If supply management is designed to protect Canadian food sovereignty, why are Canadians helping finance a Chinese-owned dairy plant whose original business model relied overwhelmingly on exports?

At the moment, Canadians only know part of the answer. That should concern us all.



Update - The Canada Royal Milk story Ottawa doesn't want to explain. Canadians deserve to know how much public money has been committed to the project