The Trade and Climate Change conference, was held virtually on April 7 to 9, 2021, and was a joint effort of U.S.-based Farm Foundation and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI). The objective of the conference was to explore topics in the context of global trade, where climate change policies have become “increasingly ambitious and… Read More
The latest round of compensation payouts to dairy farmers for lost market share through international trade deals will be complete by the end of the month. This second round of the Dairy Direct Payment Program brings the total number of dairy farmers registered for compensation to 9,682. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced… Read More
When we talk about trade, often times we talk about market access, tariff rate quotes, and other technical aspects. Climate change and carbon programing isn’t necessarily something that always comes to mind. Ted Bilyea of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), says there are currently big unknowns surrounding trade and climate change; particularly, how we… Read More
Much of the oxygen surrounding agriculture in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been used on dairy, but expect wheat to gain increased attention in the coming weeks if some U.S. farm groups get their way. Newly reappointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has mentioned USMCA enforcement and wheat several times in recent speeches, and… Read More
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) is set to become the first rail freight network to link Canada, the U.S., and Mexico after announcing a US$25 billion stock and cash agreement to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS) railway on Sunday. The enterprise value of the proposed deal, which has been approved unanimously by both railways’ boards of… Read More
China has a large agricultural base, but despite this, their self-sufficiency is hindered by rapid urbanization and the sheer volume of people to feed. Even though it relies on other countries for commodities, China is a challenging country to do trade with. Canada’s not the only country that has had problematic negotiations with China —… Read More
If Canada celebrated Auto Industry Day, the Prime Minister and national leaders would boast of our modern technology, our ingenuity and automation, our global competitiveness and production figures, regardless of where we rank in the world order. But on Canada’s Agriculture Day, politicians celebrated small, quaint, pastoral perceptions of agriculture, as opposed to owning the… Read More
David MacNaughton, who served as Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S from 2016 to 2019, says that while the Canada-U.S. leadership relationship is much improved under President Joe Biden, Canada still needs to proceed with caution. Yes, President Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have kicked off their relationship with friendly words of warmth and a… Read More
It appears the Biden and Trudeau governments are seeing many issues through a similar lense so far, especially when it comes to fighting climate change, enabling diversity, and a belief in science. Tuesday morning, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Marie-Claude Bibeau and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack met virtually, to discuss the importance of the… Read More
Nearly a dozen agricultural commodity groups are joining shippers from other industries in calling on the federal labour minister to step in to prevent a looming strike at the Port of Montreal later this month. After going on a 12-day strike in August 2020, a truce between 1,125 workers with the Longshoremen’s Union CUPE Local… Read More
The Western Canadian grain trade, with the support of the Prairie provinces, is launching a campaign to push for changes to “outdated and problematic” federal rules around the oversight of Canada’s ports, mainly driven by cost increases at the Port of Vancouver over the last few years. The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) says its… Read More
Grain companies have laid out their priorities for the current review of the Canada Grain Act, with consultations underway until April 30. There have been multiple attempts to update the Act going back to the early 2000s, but they’ve all been derailed before reaching the point where the legislation was changed. As Wade Sobkowich, executive… Read More
The theories range from “evil” American milk making its way into Canada, to mistreatment of cows or mysterious supplements fed to cows, to enzyme activity; but any sort of factual explanation for why some Canadians are saying butter has either changed consistency at room temperature or changed in flavour since August 2020 remains a mystery…. Read More
Not only is Tom Vilsack set to return as U.S. secretary of agriculture, he’s also open to bringing back U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) for beef and pork; but only if it doesn’t lead to retaliation from trading partners, such as Canada, under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Vilsack, who was ag secretary when the Obama… Read More
One year in to navigating a global pandemic, it’s clear that the economic health of consumers is ailing, but it’s difficult to measure by how much; and until COVID-19 passes, any economic recovery in Canada is strained. “It’s interesting, when we think back to a year ago, just before the pandemic really began to bear… Read More
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