Dairy farmer turned Liberal MP vows to be voice for tariff-hit Quebec region

OTTAWA — Newly elected Liberal MP Daniel Gobeil says his experience as a dairy farmer and agricultural leader will help him be a voice in Ottawa for a Quebec region on the front lines of the Canada-U.S. trade war.

The former president of Quebec’s dairy producers says he may already have contributed to Canada’s approach to the Trump administration, even before voters in Chicoutimi—Le Fjord elected him to Parliament in an Aug. 31 byelection.

“My opinion was taken into account, even when I was still a candidate,” Gobeil said in an interview on Friday with The Canadian Press.

Gobeil, who also served as vice-president of Dairy Farmers of Canada, said Prime Minister Mark Carney gave him a “receptive ear” during the campaign as Canada negotiated with the United States.

And Gobeil said he spoke with Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, as Washington pressed Canada over its supply-management system, particularly in the dairy sector.

Canada’s supply-management system regulates production and prices for dairy, poultry and eggs and uses import quotas and tariffs to protect domestic producers.

A federal law adopted last year, which originated as a Bloc Québécois bill, prevents Ottawa from making trade commitments that would increase import quotas or lower tariffs protecting supply-managed dairy, poultry and egg sectors.

“There were discussions,” Gobeil said of his exchanges with LeBlanc, adding, “I knew what was going on — not all of the demands, but certainly those within my area of expertise, the dairy sector.”

Protecting supply management became a major issue during Gobeil’s byelection campaign. A Canada-U.S. trade agreement appeared within reach for several days, with reports suggesting Canada was considering changes to how it administers dairy import quotas.

But Carney suspended the talks and ordered Canada’s negotiating team home, saying Washington had introduced last-minute demands Canada could not accept.

Gobeil said that decision was a “game changer” for his campaign.

“It happened on a Friday night,” he said. “Saturday morning, we saw Carney’s polling, he was at 85 per cent in Quebec. People were behind that ‘Maîtres chez nous’ position.”

The phrase, which translates roughly as “Masters in our own house,” was popularized by former Quebec premier Jean Lesage during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s and has recently been invoked by Carney.

The win flipped a seat previously held by the Conservatives and was part of a three-byelection sweep for Carney’s Liberals on Aug. 31.

Gobeil repeatedly said he had been reassured that Ottawa was not considering concessions that would undermine the supply-management system.

Asked whether he had played a role in the negotiations, Gobeil said his influence was more limited, with LeBlanc, Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette and Carney’s inner circle leading the talks.

“I would say perhaps more of a role in their position, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I had a role in the negotiations,” he said.

Gobeil heads to Ottawa at a difficult time for Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, about 200 kilometres north of Quebec City, where the aluminum and forestry industries have been hit by U.S. tariffs.

The region is also home to Canadian Forces Base Bagotville, which is hoping to benefit from increased federal defence spending.

With speculation circulating about a possible cabinet shuffle, Gobeil said he would be willing to take on a larger role.

“Clearly, if the prime minister sees an additional role for me on the team, I’ll be there,” he said.

But Gobeil said he is also happy to begin his work as an MP and bring a regional perspective to the Liberal caucus.

“I have a lot of people, friends of mine, who work in forestry and are facing challenges, and people in aluminum,” he said.

Back home in La Baie, Gobeil has begun handing over more responsibility for Ferme du Fjord, his family’s dairy and grain farm, to his son, daughter and nephew.

Their help, he said, allowed him to take on other roles over the years and eventually make the jump into federal politics.

For Gobeil, farming also prepared him for the demands of a political campaign.

“On the farm, the days are long,” he said. “The days are long in a campaign, too. That’s part of my everyday life. And I think people recognized that we work hard. That’s part of the values we carry with us.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2026.

Émilie Bergeron, The Canadian Press