The Province of Saskatchewan is requesting that the Supreme Court settle the issue of constitutionality of the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act and will be arguing its carbon tax reference case on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. “We believe that we have strong legal grounds in this case, particularly considering that we’re arguing on… Read More
The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) has asked four cabinet ministers to push for progress on the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), on the three year anniversary of the agreement coming into force. In a letter sent to Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng, Minister of Finance, Chrystia… Read More
This week has featured a major debate in farm country regarding the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS), for which regulations are slated to be published this fall in the Canada Gazette. There are many potential outcomes to be excited about regarding the biofuel policy, but there are signifiant concerns from farmers and some farm groups on… Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says her government’s proposed Clean Fuel Standard will be “a great opportunity” for farmers, but she acknowledges the policy needs further consultation. The government is planning to introduce regulations to support the policy, which is designed to incentivize the use of lower carbon fuels such as ethanol or biodiesel, this… Read More
Saskatchewan’s election is coming up on October 26, 2020. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has released a set of proposals designed to get candidates from all political parties thinking about how best to support Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector. “Agriculture has ended up being a major driver of the economy during COVID-19,” says farmer and… Read More
The news cycle has picked up on the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) issue recently, but the topic isn’t all that new. The policy has been developed over the past couple of years — since about 2016 — according to the CFS website under the government of Canada’s environment and natural resources arm. “I think the… Read More
Canada’s biofuel industry is very optimistic about the federal government’s proposed Clean Fuel Standard (CFS), which could potentially create significant new domestic demand for Canadian crops depending on how the regulations are drawn up. The goal of the policy, which has been in the works for several years, is to reduce the intensity of carbon… Read More
Farmers across Canada are beginning to hear more and more about the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) being proposed by the federal government. But what on earth is it? The government is aiming to reward low carbon fuel in the Canadian fuel system, potentially offering a lot of opportunity for biofuels — fuels made from things… Read More
After being pushed from July to October due to COVID-19, the FPT Agriculture first ministers meeting has been further delayed to November, according to a tweet from AAFC on Tuesday morning. The AAFC tweet says “Ministers agree to hold their virtual meeting in November to accommodate Saskatchewan election, ensuring all #AgFPT20 partners can be at… Read More
With the appointment of Lianne Rood as the shadow minister of agriculture this week, I think there will be a change in approach regarding agricultural issues between now and an election. Like her predecessor John Barlow, Rood has a strong background in agriculture and an eye on eventually being the minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food… Read More
Much of the Canadian demand for organics is met by imported products. To address this, the Canadian Organic Growers (COG) is launching a federally-funded project to help get more Canadian consumers buying organics produced locally by Canadian organic farmers. With a grant of $640,000, COG will develop a strategy to identify and find solutions to… Read More
It’s a bit early to see what the impacts of the recent frost are on crops in Saskatchewan but for the most part, David Marit, minister of agriculture in Saskatchewan, says the crop is either ripe, in a swath, or being straight cut. As of last week, 28 per cent of the crop was harvested,… Read More
New leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and now Leader of the Opposition, Erin O’Toole, has named his shadow cabinet ahead of the second session of the 43rd Parliament, set to begin in late September. Lianne Rood, who was elected MP for Lambton – Kent – Middlesex, Ontario in 2019, will sit as Shadow… Read More
What works for animal production sectors won’t necessarily work for the grain sector, says the chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), referring to the Canadian Pork Council’s latest request for changes to business risk management (BRM) programs, specifically AgriStability. While farm groups across the country have been pushing for BRM reform for years, GFO’s… Read More
The federal government needs to step up and fix its business risk management programs for farmers. It should also consider paying farmers for soil management practices that sequester carbon, invest in rural internet, and partner with other countries that trade with China to gain leverage on international markets. That’s according to federal New Democrat agriculture… Read More