Kody Blois is less than a week into his role as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development, but already he’s firing off missives and steering policy direction. There’s a reason for the quick pace — an election call could come at any moment, or the government could fall on Monday, March 24,… Read More
Category: Regulatory
Canada’s new agriculture minister has instructed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to reduce red tape and harmonize certain regulations with trading partners. “I’ve established an agreement with the CFIA that they are going to be taking forward measures to reduce red tape, to be able focus on the registration of farm products more quickly,… Read More
A valuable tool for managing insect pests, such as flea beetles and grasshoppers, is back in the toolbox for 2025. As reported earlier this month, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has effectively lifted a two-year ban on spraying insecticides containing lambda-cyhalothrin on crops that could be destined for livestock feed. Lambda-cy products, sold… Read More
More than three years ago, the federal government initiated a process to “transform” aspects of Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Focused on four main pillars — transparency, real-world data, modernization, and targeted reviews — the process has included convening working groups and holding consultations. CropLife Canada has been part of these working groups and… Read More
Drew Spoelstra has been re-elected to a second, one-year term as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The Binbrook, Ont., dairy and crop farmer was chosen to lead the provincial farm lobby at an executive meeting following the conclusion of the organization’s annual convention in Toronto this week. “I appreciate the trust and… Read More
The implementation of a grocery sector code of conduct, improvements to AgriRecovery, capital gains tax changes, and food security in Canada’s north were among the topics discussed by agriculture ministers from across Canada in Whitehorse this week. Ministers representing the federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments traveled to the Yukon capital for their annual FPT… Read More
Long-awaited regulatory updates to modernize how feed is regulated in Canada were published in the Canada Gazette II last week, with some of them taking effect immediately Melissa Dumont, executive director of the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada (ANAC), says that her organization welcomes the changes the new regulations will bring due in no small… Read More
MPs on the House of Commons’ agriculture committee have published a list of recommendations for the federal government to tackle the issue of food price volatility after studying the topic over the past six months. The committee heard from a long list of witnesses, including executives from Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys-owner Empire, Walmart Canada and Costco,… Read More
When it comes to agriculture and the environment, some people see agriculture as a solution, while others view it as a problem. And in politics, people with different perspectives and levels of awareness about farming often sit in the same caucus or cabinet, influencing where a party stands on environmental policies that affect agriculture. Canada’s… Read More
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is several years into what’s been dubbed a “transformation.” The PMRA reform process started nearly three years ago, leading up to the 2021 federal election, and this initial “transformation” was to focus on four area: transparency, increase the use of real-world data and independent advice, strengthen human health… Read More