Update: Citing the Conservative Party of Canada’s support for supply management as one of his reasons, Maxime Bernier announced on Thursday afternoon that he has left the party with the intention of starting a new federal conservative party. Delegates are arriving in Halifax for the Conservative Party of Canada’s policy convention where there will be… Read more »
Category: Carbon tax
When the federal environment minister visits your farm…
The federal environment minister made a rare and unpublicized visit to a grain farm in Manitoba on Thursday. Minister Catherine McKenna dropped in at Curtis McRae’s farm north of Winnipeg near St. Andrews on her way back from a funding announcement for Lake Winnipeg in Gimli. A film crew arrived about an hour before the… Read more »
Ontario joins Saskatchewan in legal case against federal carbon tax
Ontario’s new provincial government is officially joining Saskatchewan in challenging the federal government’s carbon tax in court. “We agreed today to join forces and use every single tool at our disposal to challenge the federal government’s authority to arbitrarily impose a carbon tax on the people of Ontario and Saskatchewan,” says a joint statement issued… Read more »
Premier Moe confident on legal and political fronts in fight against carbon tax
When it comes to opposing the federal carbon tax, the premier of Saskatchewan believes his government is not only on solid ground politically, but also in the courts. “I’m confident on both fronts. I truly am. I’ve never felt better about our stance with respect to the legal argument that we’ve put forward,” says Premier… Read more »
MacAulay tells Senate most farmers support federal carbon tax moves
Whether he meant to say it or not, the federal agriculture minister is drawing criticism for a comment he made to the Senate on Tuesday regarding how farmers view the federal carbon tax. Responding to a question from Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen about the impact of the carbon tax on farmers in New Brunswick, Lawrence… Read more »
Carbon tax fails to recognize farming’s worth
A funny thing happened on the way to carbon pricing in Canada. What looked like smooth sailing has run into some very turbulent waters. Farmers, for example, are raising serious questions about its practicality, effectiveness, fairness, and cost. One concern is the lack of clarity when discussing agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Various agriculture… Read more »
Sask. producers applaud province for taking federal carbon tax to court
The issue: The Saskatchewan government filed a reference question in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on Wednesday asking the court whether the federal carbon pricing legislation violates the Constitution. Farm groups, who have supported the Saskatchewan government’s opposition to the carbon tax, are welcoming the court challenge. Why does it matter? Saskatchewan is currently the… Read more »
Fuel for heating barns and drying grain to be exempt from Manitoba carbon tax
The Manitoba government has decided it will not apply a carbon tax to fuels used for heating or cooling barns and greenhouses or to run grain dryers — an exemption that was not announced when the Pallister government rolled out its carbon pricing plan last fall. The province originally said farm diesel and gasoline would… Read more »
Carbon tax plan headlines Manitoba budget
The Manitoba government says it’s going to give the revenue from the federally-mandated carbon tax back to Manitobans through tax reductions elsewhere. Several farm groups questioned how agriculture will be impacted by the carbon plan following the release of the provincial budget on Monday by Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen. “Farmers don’t have the option… Read more »
Will a carbon tax negatively impact the competitiveness of Canadian farms?
From the inception of the Liberal government’s carbon tax plan, agriculture has had major reservations. Farm group leaders have expressed concerns over rising costs, decreasing global competitiveness and a lack of recognition for agriculture’s role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Farm groups have lobbied hard to either be omitted from the pricing, or to receive… Read more »
Saskatchewan farm groups applaud province’s climate change strategy
Farm groups were quick to show their support as Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan unveiled his government’s “Made-in-Saskatchewan Climate Change Strategy” on Monday. The province says the plan is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change, without implementing a carbon tax. (Download the strategy text by clicking here.) “This plan is broader… Read more »
Manitoba ag minister on carbon tax: “If we say no, we’ll get Trudeau”
Despite major concerns from the farm community, Manitoba’s agriculture minister says the provincial government was left with no choice but to move forward with implementing a carbon tax. “If we say no, then we’ll get Trudeau,” says Ralph Eichler in the interview below, referring to the Prime Minister’s national carbon price mandate. Eichler joined us… Read more »
Pallister unveils Manitoba carbon tax with farm fuel exemption
Manitoba farmers won’t be paying a carbon tax on farm fuel, but questions remain about other costs that farms will bear from carbon pricing and where new tax revenues will be spent. Premier Brian Pallister and Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires unveiled the province’s “Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan” on Friday. The federal government wants all provinces… Read more »
Manitoba gov’t moving ahead with carbon tax after getting legal opinion
The Manitoba government released an independent expert legal opinion on whether the federal government has the constitutional authority to impose a ‘backstop’ on carbon pricing on Wednesday. The province says the 64-page assessment, conducted by Dr. Bryan Schwartz at the University of Manitoba, determined Ottawa can impose carbon pricing, but that the province likely would… Read more »
Getting crunched: Government squeezes on farms are adding up
I’m fortunate enough to get to meet all kinds of farmers. Usually when we meet, the conversation is a standard one. What’s the weather been like or how is the harvest going? Politics, just like sex and religion, is usually left out of it. Until recently. Farmers keep bringing it up in their conversations. That… Read more »