Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled the cabinet that will likely carry the reigning Liberal Party into the 2019 federal election. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, who is in Vancouver for the annual federal-provincial ag ministers’ meeting, remains in his post following the shuffle. Rumours ahead of the announced changes were that MacAulay might… Read more »
Category: Politics
KAP president steps down to seek federal Conservative nomination
The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has resigned his post to seek a nomination for the Conservative Party of Canada. Dan Mazier informed the board of directors for the general farm organization in Manitoba about his decision on Friday. He is seeking the Tory nomination in his home riding of Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa. Current MP… Read more »
Ontario morphs into Ford Nation— who might end up as ag minister?
It’s been a wild few months for Ontario’s provincial leaders. From the sudden resignation of the PC’s Patrick Brown in late January, to the nail-biter of a leadership race between Christine Elliott and the eventual victor Doug Ford, and on to an election that saw Andrea Horwath’s fortunes rise even as Premier Kathleen Wynne conceded… Read more »
What could an NDP government bring Ontario farmers — a look back to 1995
As election day in Ontario draws near, the popularity of Andrea Horwath’s New Democratic Party is surging. What if the NDP were to win Ontario on June 7? What would the New Democrats mean for farmers? To get some perspective, we sent RealAgriculture Ontario Field Editor Bernard Tobin on a trip to his attic where… Read more »
Can Doug Ford make populism work in Ontario?
Ontario’s provincial election is shaping up to be a two-horse race. Major polls this week show the Progressive Conservative party and Doug Ford holding the lead but Andrea Horwath’s campaign for change is gaining ground as voters leave the fading Liberals and consider the front-runners. An Ipsos poll earlier this week pegged PC popular support at… Read more »
Paint the town…orange? What an NDP government could mean for rural Ontario
Perhaps you saw it differently if you took in the televised Ontario leaders’ debate earlier this week, but from what I saw, Kathleen Wynne is done, Doug Ford did not impress, and — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — the NDP’s Andrea Horwath knocked it out of the park. It’s most certainly Doug… Read more »
C-49 taking the long route, headed back through the Senate
The grain industry will likely have to wait at least a few more weeks for passage of Bill C-49, the federal legislation containing new rules pertaining to rail transportation. The House of Commons passed Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s motion to accept only 10 of the Senate’s 19 amendments to the Bill C-49 on Thursday, sending… Read more »
Sitting on the right side of the fence on a trade war with China
This week has been laced with trade threats, drama, and fear for agricultural commodity markets, all based on the possibility of a trade war between the U.S. and China. Most economists agree that though a trade war has yet to start, there is a serious flirtation with one. And no matter what President Trump tells… Read more »
Urban Ontario gives its rural cousin a mixed review
Rural Ontario has long been seething at provincial Liberals for a list of problems it lays at their feet. Now, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has added a new villain to the list of those it says should show more love for rural Ontario: that is, urbanites. Prior to the provincial budget being announced,… Read more »
Alberta farm groups express support for pipeline expansion
Farm groups in Alberta are applauding the provincial government’s effort to advance oil pipelines, thereby taking pressure off the rail freight system. “Team Alberta” sent a letter to Premier Rachel Notley this week expressing support for the Trans Mountain pipeline and other crude oil pipelines. The Trans Mountain line was approved by the federal government… Read more »
Making agriculture’s case in the Ontario election
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is building support for its vision of Ontario agriculture and food and it’s banking on a new partnership with other key stakeholders to make politicians take notice. With a provincial election campaign just over three months away, OFA travelled to Queen’s Park last week to ask politicians to spread… Read more »
Mexico’s election adds more political risk to NAFTA
As if NAFTA negotiations weren’t complicated enough with trying to figure out what the U.S. administration wants, Mexico’s looming election is adding another layer of political uncertainty. The political threat to a successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement is particularly concerning for trade-dependent industries like agriculture, as highlighted by two of the… Read more »
The crux of populist politics for agriculture
Farmers and ranchers across Canada and the United States identify with a hard day’s work, family, and a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You would have to drive many dirt roads before you found a farmer in either country identifying with “the elites.” In the Right Honourable Stephen Harper’s recent… Read more »
Scott Moe wins race to be Premier of Saskatchewan
Scott Moe has replaced Brad Wall as the leader of the Saskatchewan Party, becoming the Premier-designate of Saskatchewan. Moe received 8,075 votes or 53.7 percent of the total votes cast, surpassing runner-up and former deputy ag minister Alanna Koch by 1,161 votes, in the fifth and final round of voting at the party’s leadership convention in… Read more »
All eyes on Canada in round 6 of NAFTA negotiations
Round 6 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks are about to begin in Montreal, and interested parties will be gauging the mood of the discussions closely. Over the weekend, there were several articles on the grumpiness of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on the topic of the Canadian negotiation strategy at the… Read more »