There’s something to be said for authentic and lively debate of the key issues of the day. When you’ve served in federal politics for over two decades, one can only hope to have as many examples of such as Wayne Easter, retiring Member of Parliament for Malpeque, P.E.I. Easter says he has lived by two… Read More
The Canadian government is planning to file another request for the World Trade Organization to establish a dispute settlement panel to look at China’s restrictions on Canadian canola seed imports. China used a procedural tactic to block Canada’s initial appeal for a dispute panel at the WTO Dispute Settlement Body’s monthly meeting on Monday (June… Read More
The federal government will not be contributing to enhancements to AgriStability announced by the Ontario government last week, unless a consensus is reached to increase the compensation rate across the country, says federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. On Friday afternoon, newly-minted Ontario Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson announced the province would move ahead with increasing the… Read More
Agriculture is a big tent covering many different facets of food and commodity production. From coast to coast, there are so many different farm types, sizes, production systems and end use markets. How we describe ourselves within agriculture usually involves farmer, producer or grower, and for some, rancher, but at the end of the day… Read More
Ontario is moving ahead with changes to the AgriStability program for farmers in the province, regardless of the federal government’s support or the agreement of other provinces. Last November, the federal government proposed removing the Reference Margin Limit (RML) and increasing the compensation rate from 70 per cent to 80 per cent. Because of how the… Read More
Update, June 29: The Senate adjourned until September 21 on Tuesday, leaving Bill C-206 on the Order Paper. It would die there if a federal election is called this summer. The private member’s bill that would remove the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms still has a last-minute chance at… Read More
If you’re a livestock producer in Ontario and are wondering where the renewal form is for the Risk Management Program, wonder no more: they haven’t been sent out yet. The usual deadline to enrol lamb, cattle, hogs, and veal sales for the current year is April, however last year and this year’s deadlines were pushed… Read More
A private member’s bill designed to level the tax burden when selling an incorporated small business to a family member versus selling to a non-family member received final approval from the Senate on Tuesday, clearing the path for Bill C-208 to become law. The bill, brought forward by Manitoba MP Larry Maguire, addresses the issue… Read More
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently published its annual report on estimates of support to agriculture, titled the “Agricultural Policy Monitoring and Evaluation 2021.” The report monitors and evaluates agricultural policies in 54 countries, including the 38 OECD countries, five non-OECD EU Member States, and 11 emerging economies. Between 2018 to 2020,… Read More
The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions are launching a consultation on amalgamating to form a single commission. The Commissions will be soliciting farmers’ opinions beginning in July with an online survey, followed by virtual town hall events after harvest in October, and further dialogue and sessions during regional meetings in November. The commissions have been… Read More
In the uncertainty of a national carbon strategy and how a carbon offset system will work, farmers’ contributions to sequestration and carbon emission mitigation efforts are frequently minimized. It seems the more knowledge there is about the exact amount of carbon sequestered in agricultural land, the more power farmers may have in lobbying for exemptions… Read More
Canada’s agriculture industry has had its share of trials over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interrupted value chains, spilled milk, and empty grocery shelves were thankfully a short-lived experience for Canadians and the agriculture sector. In fact, agriculture and food, as industries, have continued to be economic drivers even during the last 15 months… Read More
Provincial governments across Canada are consulting with farmers and the agriculture industry as they prepare to hammer out a new five-year federal-provincial-territorial agricultural policy framework. The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) — the $3 billion 5-year investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments — is set to expire in 2023. While federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau… Read More
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) wants to do away with the Product of the USA label on beef, saying the term could potentially be misleading to consumers. Kent Bacus, senior director of international trade and market access for NCBA, based out of Washington, D.C., explains that current rules state that beef product only has… Read More
The federal government held campaign-like events in several provinces this week to announce the opening of the application window for its $165.7-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program. Different Liberal MPs hosted virtual visits in Ontario’s Port of Johnstown, B.C.’s Winecrush Technology Inc., and a Manitoba-based biomass grain dryer manufacturer, all highlighting the same program which will provide farmers and… Read More