our agricultural products (dairy, wheat, maple syrup, and to a lesser extent retail beer and alcohols) are controlled by state monopolies who set prices. Every

our agricultural products (dairy, wheat, maple syrup, and to a lesser extent retail beer and alcohols) are controlled by state monopolies who set prices. Every sane government uses taxes, to ensure food independence. A country needs farms beyond all else. The US does this on the back end, using taxes to shore up pricing. One method the US uses is "government cheese", where their federal government buys megatonnes of milk, turns it into cheese, then gives it to welfare recipients. By buying up surplus, the feds keep the price of milk up. Canada instead regulates milk pricing via quotas. Both methods involve keeping the price artificially high. The US follows suit in other markets too.