Negotiating trade deals to increase market access is typically not easy. Non-tariff barriers, thickening borders, and increased commerce bureaucracy all make access to global markets and free trade very difficult. But what if market access could be made easier by just asking for it. Why didn’t former Presidents, NCBA and a handful of U.S. Trade… Read more »
Category: Politics
Should politicians talk agriculture on the urban campaign trail?
City dwellers may not have much connection to the farm these days but there’s growing evidence that they value the agri-food industry’s ability to produce high-quality, safe food and create jobs. That’s the conclusion of an opinion poll commissioned by Grassroots Public Affairs. The survey of 676 residents in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) indicates… Read more »
Dairy farmers made a difference in Scheer’s surprise win over Bernier
Many dairy and poultry farmers across Canada breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday night as Andrew Scheer defeated front-runner Maxime Bernier to become the leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada. One of Bernier’s main promises during the campaign was to dismantle supply management (SM) — the quota system that ensures a… Read more »
Bill 17 follows up on Bill 6, gives Alberta farm workers the right to unionize — Interview with Oneil Carlier
Last week, the Alberta government introduced Bill 17, the Fair and Family-Friendly Workplaces Act, which updates Alberta’s Labour Code and Employment Standards Code. Since the bill covers all workers in Alberta, it requires some further digging to parse out what applies to agriculture and farms. On Friday, Shaun Haney spoke with Oneil Carlier, Minister of… Read more »
Conservative leadership race enters the home stretch
18 months after former Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced he was stepping down, the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), and the Official Opposition, is into its final days. Rona Ambrose gave her final major speech as interim leader this week, and CPC members from across the country will… Read more »
AgriTalk Free For All: Wheat trade harmonization, planting delays, labour shortages and dairy friction
On Friday, Shaun Haney was invited to be on the Free For All Panel on Agritalk, along with Chip Flory and Jim Wiesemeyer. Agritalk with Mike Adams has over 95 United States based radio affiliates and can be heard across North America on Rural Radio 147 (couple hours before RealAg Radio). The topics included US… Read more »
Creating a ‘Silicon Valley’ for Food in Ontario
Around the globe, agriculture and food systems produce about 2,850 calories per person per day. That’s enough to feed the world explains University of Guelph professor Evan Fraser, but unfortunately we still have 800 million people who are undernourished. Even more perplexing is the fact that we have 2 billion people who struggle with being… Read more »
Trump vs Canada: Get Your Tickets for this Epic Main Event!
Since the election of Donald Trump, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been under threat. Initially, the harsh words of walls, import tariffs, and immigration reform were directed squarely at Mexico. That all changed this week when president Trump “laid down the law” in an effort to make Canada quiver insecurely in its… Read more »
Trump Administration Not Capable of Renegotiating NAFTA: David Frum
Will Canadians see a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement any time soon? Don’t bet on it, says political commentator David Frum. Earlier this week, the editor of The Atlantic and former speech writer for George W. Bush, shared his thoughts on the Donald Trump presidency and possible NAFTA renegotiation at the Grain Farmers of Ontario… Read more »
Agritalk Panel: Canada/U.S. Trade Strategy, Quota, and Border Taxes
Trade has become the talk on all news programs and in coffee shops across not just Canada, but all of North America. America’s Trump administration has promised it will improve current deals and strike new bilateral agreements around the world, creating opportunities and challenges for Canada. With the impending NAFTA renegotiation being a hot topic,… Read more »
Bernier Promises to Tear Down Supply Management if Elected Prime Minister
Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Maxime Bernier performed very well in the leadership debate held at the Manning Conference over the weekend according to many delegates, but Canadian dairy farmers were left rather concerned. Not surprisingly, Bernier maintained his stance of being against supply management for dairy, egg and poultry sectors. On Friday afternoon Bernier… Read more »
Trudeau Playing the Trade File Perfectly at this Point
It was a great week for Canada in terms of trade on several fronts. You can say many negative things about Prime Minister Trudeau, but you cannot take away his government’s effort to extend Harper’s commitment to trade. There is much discussion and renegotiation to still happen, but the week of February 13th was very good for… Read more »
Canada-U.S. Uncertainty Adds to Long List of Challenges Facing Trudeau Government
Maintaining the Canada-U.S. relationship following the election of Donald Trump has quickly become a top priority for the Trudeau government, adding to an already long list of issues facing the Liberals. “It’s added a lot of uncertainty obviously to an already full agenda. They came to power with 300-plus promises. A very ambitious government, across a range… Read more »
David Frum’s Advice for the Prime Minister on Dealing with Trump
As Donald Trump takes office in the United States, questions abound regarding the impact of his promised economic, environmental, foreign, and trade policies. There’s optimism in the agricultural regions of the U.S, as the president-elect has promised a major reduction of government agency regulation. The American people wanted something different in Washington and that is what they appear… Read more »
Leal Remains Ag Minister in Ontario Cabinet Shuffle; Takes on Added Portfolio
Ontario minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, Jeff Leal, has kept his post in Premier Kathleen Wynne’s cabinet mini-shuffle announced today. In addition to remaining the agriculture minister, Leal was also named the minister “responsible for small business.” Today I was pleased to be named Minister Responsible for Small Business, in addition to serving… Read more »