Trade ministers from 12 Pacific Rim nations negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement failed to reach an agreement last week.

Among the issues at the table, Canada’s supply management for Dairy is raising concerns for New Zealand and Australia.

Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart is in agreement with the Federal Minister’s stand that the pillars of supply management will be protected.

"If there's some trade-off that can be made around the edges, while still protecting the main pillars of supply management - maybe for the greater good that's worthwhile and we're assured that's the case that there will be a compensation package in place," Stewart said.  

He feels there’s still time to reach a workable agreement.

"It opens up markets of bilions of people in the Pacific Rim and gives us the preferred status as a trader. To not be part of that would be very harmful for an exporting province like ours," Stewart said.

There’s no word yet on when the next set of meetings could be.