In the tale of the three little pigs, our three little friends continue to make false assumptions of their safety based on the construction material of their house. It was not until the third little pig constructed a house of bricks that the wolf had met his match no matter how strong his huff and… Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The Agriculture Carbon Alliance (ACA) and many of its farm group members are voicing strong disappointment with the Senate’s adoption of a previously-rejected amendment to Bill C-234 at the final stage before it would have become law. The bill, which would have removed the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms,… Read More
Bill C-234 is likely headed down a drawn-out path to its demise in the House of Commons after the Senate voted 40-39 in favour of an amendment to the bill that would have removed the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms. Senators still have to vote on the revised version… Read More
Diedrah Kelly has been named as executive director of Canada’s new Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Philippines. The federal government is planning to open the physical office in the new year. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay told RealAgriculture last month that the office will open in or around February. The IPAAO is a $31.8… Read More
The private member’s bill that aims to reduce the risk of biosecurity breaches from trespassers on farms has received final approval in the House of Commons. Bill C-275, brought forward by Conservative shadow minister for agriculture John Barlow, would update the Health of Animals Act to make it an offence to enter a place where… Read More
Senators intent on blocking Bill C-234 re-introduced an already-defeated amendment hours after a separate amendment was voted down on Tuesday. It’s the latest move by senators aligned with the Liberal government to obstruct the private member’s bill that would remove the federal carbon levy from natural gas and propane used on farms. First, Senator Lucie… Read More
Editor’s note: This story was updated Nov. 28 after confirmation from the Canada Revenue Agency that the proposed changes to the underused housing tax will only take effect after legislation that has yet-to-be introduced has been approved by Parliament. The federal government has proposed several changes to its underused housing tax (UHT) that are expected… Read More
A dispute panel convened to settle U.S. concerns over how Canada handled its dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs) under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA/USMCA) has ruled that Canada is not obligated to make further changes, following an earlier ruling in December 2021 that Canada’s handling of TRQs was “inconsistent” with the trade deal. The ruling, made… Read More
Drew Spoelstra, a dairy and crop farmer from Binbrook, Ont., has been elected as the new president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Spoelstra was chosen to the lead the provincial farm lobby at an executive meeting following the conclusion of the organization’s annual convention in Toronto this week. He has served on the… Read More
The federal government plans to move ahead with changes to the Competition Act to support Canadians’ right-to-repair. This was one of many commitments made in the fall economic statement tabled by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday afternoon. The government says it will amend the act “in order to prevent manufacturers from refusing to provide… Read More
Editor’s note: this audio was recorded during the day on Tuesday, November 21, prior to the Senate sitting for the day. We will update the story as details become available. Conservative shadow minister for agriculture John Barlow is pushing to see Canadian senators finally hold the final vote on Bill C-234, the bill that will… Read More
Agricultural news never sits still, and in 2023 there are just so many variables impacting the industry at any given moment. At RealAgriculture, we are always striving to keep you up to date on what political moves could have an impact on your farm — either through trade, tariffs, or rules and regulations. In the… Read More
The governments of Canada and Ontario are launching the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative with up to $25 million available through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The goal of the initiative is to expand production capacity and boost energy efficiency in the agriculture and food sector in the province. Successful projects under the initiative will be used… Read More
This week, it seemed the rest of Canada finally tuned in to what the heck happened in the Senate regarding Bill C-234, the private member’s bill that will exempt natural gas and propane used for grain drying and barn heating from the carbon tax. First the leader of the Conservative party and official opposition, Pierre… Read More
Update, Nov. 20: A delegation of leaders from Ontario farm organizations say they are heading to Ottawa to show support for the passage of C-234. The group includes representatives from Beef Farmers of Ontario, Mushrooms Canada, Ontario Broiler Chicken Hatching Egg Producers Association, Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, Ontario Pork,… Read More