One of the busiest people in agriculture may be Senator Rob Black. The Ontario senator seems to be everywhere these days talking to everyone on a host of issues. Earlier this month, Black’s sponsored bill to establish Food Day in Canada received unanimous support at third reading in the House of Commons. The first official… Read More
Category: Carbon tax
Bill C-234 — the private member’s bill that would remove the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms — received final approval at third reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The bill passed with a 176-146 vote, as Conservative, New Democrat, Bloc Quebecois, and Green Party MPs voted in… Read More
The Agriculture Carbon Alliance is calling for MPs from all parties to vote in favour of Bill C-234 — the private member’s bill that would remove the federal carbon levy from natural gas and propane used on farms — as it’s headed for its third and final vote in the House of Commons later this… Read More
Doing right by the environment is a good thing, but what happens when environmental policy and trade start to mingle? There’s concern that when environmental issues are generalized and applied globally through trade agreements it creates larger problems by forcing producers to fit standards that do not necessarily apply to their region, possibly discounting conservation… Read More
The 10 per cent top-up to the federal government’s carbon tax rebate for rural Canadians should be re-evaluated, according to a Liberal MP from rural Nova Scotia. As part of debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday over a Conservative motion to cancel the federal price on carbon, Kody Blois told his colleagues he thinks… Read More
The current “price on pollution,” i.e. the carbon tax, sits at $50 per tonne carbon dioxide equivalent. Right now, there is an exemption on this tax being applied to on-farm diesel and gas bought in bulk, however propane and natural gas used for grain drying, barn heating, or running irrigation is still subject to the… Read More
On November 14, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food approved Bill C-234 — a private member’s bill that would exempt natural gas and propane used on farms for drying grain and heating barns from the federal carbon tax. Dave Carey, vice president of government and industry relations at the Canadian Canola… Read More
The private member’s bill that would exempt natural gas and propane used on farms for drying grain and heating barns from the federal carbon tax was approved, with amendments, by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on Monday. Bill C-234, originally introduced by Ontario Conservative MP Ben Lobb in February of… Read More
It’s a busy time of year in Ottawa and around the world for ministers and for the official critics, too. John Barlow, Alberta MP for Foothills, spent time in Paris, France, last week attending the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) minister’s meeting. Canada’s federal ag minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau, chaired the meeting. Now that… Read More
Saskatchewan’s government is planning to move ahead with its own voluntary carbon offset credit market, which would potentially see farmers receive payments for practices that sequester or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plan to move ahead with the provincial offset program was included in the throne speech delivered by Lt. Gov. Russ Mirasty on October… Read More
The House of Commons’ agriculture committee is reviewing Bill C-234, the private member’s bill that would exempt fuel used for barn heating and grain drying from the federal government’s carbon tax. The bill received strong support at second reading in the House of Commons back in May, with the Conservatives, NDP, Bloc, Greens, and one… Read More
The “how” of countries around the world working to address climate action through legislation is taking various shapes — from aspirational goals and carbon pricing here in Canada, to fertilizer scrutiny and restrictions in the Netherlands, to taxing cow and sheep burps in New Zealand. New Zealand’s government has aggressive climate action goals, including going… Read More
The evolution of nitrogen emission policy in Canada is, well, a bit of a dog’s breakfast. There’s overarching emissions targets, there are several regulations and standards to follow, plus, there’s funding and support to achieve some of this — all tallied up in a ledger that’s controversial (and confusing) in where numbers are added in,… Read More
The federal government has published the Clean Fuel Regulations, part of its plan to “decarbonize” the energy sector. The policy is a double edged sword for agriculture — on one hand, low-carbon-intensity fuel includes ethanol and renewable diesel, which can create marketing opportunities for corn, wheat, canola, and soy. But many fear that the end… Read More
The Canadian government has unveiled its awaited Clean Fuel Regulation (CFR), setting the stage for increased biofuel demand and production. Once fully implemented, the CFR is expected to cut up to 26.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution by 2030, or roughly the amount of GHGs currently generated by the entire Canadian economy in two… Read More