It’s not often that we here at RealAgriculture have a chance to spend some quality time one-on-one with mainstream media pundits. But at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show this week, news lead Jessika Guse managed to wrangle radio host John Gormley to sit down with RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney to talk provincial politics,… Read More
There are many challenges that have the potential to dash the business plans and hopes of farmers —from trade agreements, to climate change, and primary risks. Strong government policy is part of the solution. Helping shape effective policy will be one of Dr. Alan Ker’s goals as he assumes the newly-created Research Chair in Agriculture… Read More
In a move designed to “streamline decision making and empower the advocacy committees to build consensus and develop policy positions,” the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) has revamped its structure from a president, vice-president, and executive committee to a chair, vice-chair, and board member organization. Jeff Nielsen, of the Alberta Barley Commission, was elected chair,… Read More
The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) has returning faces along with some new ones to its board of directors following its annual general meeting. Along with changes to leadership, the farm group also passed a number of resolutions. At its annual general meeting, current president, Todd Lewis, was elected again to the position for… Read More
Grain Farmers of Ontario is asking the provincial government to issue refunds to farmers who paid into the provincial cap and trade program prior to the program being repealed by the current government. Representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers, GFO is supportive of Doug Ford’s provincial government cancelling the current cap and… Read More
With the announcement of the carbon tax program implemented in provinces without a nationally accredited carbon tax policy, people in two of the three prairie provinces have flipped their vote to support the federal government’s plan. According to a recent poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, the public’s perception in Alberta and Saskatchewan of… Read More
Legislation to enable the Saskatchewan government’s climate strategy was introduced in the provincial legislature Tuesday. This will allow components of Prairie Resilience, the province’s climate strategy plan, to move forward. Bill 132, the Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Amendment Act, implements the regulatory framework required to establish performance standards to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions,… Read More
From the emails sent to RealAgriculture, so far farm groups have not been very supportive of the new federal carbon tax policy. The plan, released on Tuesday, indicates farmers will be exempt from the fuel tax which goes into effect April of next year. It calculates to about four cents more at the pump, and… Read More
The Trudeau government announced its plan for a federal carbon tax policy on Tuesday. It’s a move many saw coming, but some are already criticizing for the lack of transparency from the start. To break it down, as part of the federal plan, those provinces who don’t have a plan up to the Liberal’s standards… Read More
Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford began his western tour Thursday by visiting a kindred spirit, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Moe clearly indicated he’s glad to have Ford on his side on several issues, but particularly Saskatchewan’s long-standing opposition to the carbon tax. Ontario announced it is intervening in the Government of Saskatchewan’s reference challenging the federal… Read More
It looks like the Manitoba government will join the fight to oppose the federal carbon tax plan by sticking with its own Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan that does not specifically put a price on carbon. Other provinces already moving ahead with their own plan include Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario. In a news release, Manitoba… Read More
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
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’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
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