The Canadian government was on the media offensive this past weekend, after the U.S. administration applied steel and aluminum tariffs to imports from Canada while justifying the move as a national security issue. “What you are saying to us and all of your NATO allies is that we somehow represent a national security threat to… Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
Steel prices in North America are on the rise and the impacts are just beginning to be felt in farm country. In the U.S., steel prices were already up 37% year to date and expected to go higher with the imposition of 25% import tariffs on steel from Canada and Mexico. According to the Financial… Read More
In a somewhat confusing twist in the on-going neonicotinoid saga, Health Canada announced yesterday the findings of its pollinator health risk assessment for imidacloprid, one of three neonicotinoid insecticides currently under re-evaluation in Canada. It’s confusing because the findings and subsequent recommendations of the Pest Management Regulatory’s risk assessment are essentially a moot point: an earlier… Read More
The Canadian government was quick to announce $16.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that Canada, Mexico, and the EU will lose their exemptions to 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum, as of June 1. The escalation comes as NAFTA negotiations appear to have stalled. Prime… Read More
Canada is 9.985 million km² producing a wealth of farm commodities and natural resources. This has been a week dominated by the discussion on the movement of oil, but what about other commodities that cannot flow through a pipe? Wheat, canola, pulses, and soybeans require rail to get from the Prairies to port to be… Read More
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
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
The boards of directors for Cereals Canada and the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) have agreed to explore a possible “integration” of the two grain industry organizations. A working group, made up of directors from both boards, has been formed to examine how the two entities could work more closely together. The mandate of this… Read More
There’s been plenty of buzz this week among farm groups and the grain industry about the long-awaited passage of Bill C-49 — the federal government’s transportation legislation that covers everything from airline ownership rules to what grain companies can put in contracts with railways. Farm group leaders and representatives from the grain industry joined federal… Read More
In a relatively short period of time the potential U.S./China trade war has shifted to becoming a “trade truce.” In potentially very good news for U.S. farmers, agricultural commodities could be one of the major beneficiaries. President Donald Trump is demanding an additional $25 billion in U.S. ag exports to China, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue… Read More