News

As the 43rd session of parliament opened Dec 5th, the Governor General laid out the government’s priorities going forward.

This year’s throne speech was titled “Moving Forward Together,” and key priorities outlined were: fighting climate change, strengthening the middle class, walking the road of reconciliation, keeping Canadians safe and healthy, and positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.

Although many have taken to social media platforms to say agriculture was left out, it wasn’t entirely. That said, there was minimal mention of the sector at a time when farmers and ranchers are under incredible stress both from Mother Nature and markets.

The only excerpt of the throne speech directly linked to agriculture was:

The Government will also continue delivering on an economic agenda that will grow a modern Canadian economy.

This means moving forward with the new NAFTA to maintain a strong and integrated North American economy. On this and other trade agreements, those in the supply management sectors will be fully and fairly compensated, with many farmers in the dairy sector receiving their first cheques this month.

To ensure fairness for all in the new digital space, the Government will review the rules currently in place.

The Government will remove additional barriers to domestic and international trade for businesses and farmers, continue with ambitious investments in infrastructure, and reduce red tape so that it is easier to create and run a start-up or small business.

And the Government will pursue a responsible fiscal plan to keep the economy strong and growing.

Grain Growers of Canada react

The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) chair Jeff Nielsen says the speech displayed a concerning lack of understanding of the unique needs of Canada’s export-oriented agriculture producers.

Nielsen went on to call it “surprising” given the amount of challenges the industry is currently facing.

“Farmers are facing times of unprecedented challenge in the international marketplace through trade disruptions due in large part to a rise in protectionism, and here at home with weather volatility and a lack of reliable business risk management programs” he says. “The absence of any recognition of the dire circumstances facing farmers today, suggests that our political leaders are not only oblivious the harsh realities facing Canada’s export oriented farmers, they are without a plan to address them. It is our hope that the passing reference to remove additional barriers to domestic and international trade for businesses and farmers will come with a robust plan to expand and diversify trade and support the domestic and global competitiveness of export-oriented farmers.”

The Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) will be bringing on Dave Carey as its new vice-president of government & industry relations.

Carey will be responsible for managing relationships with government and industry stakeholders, as well as advocating on issues, programs, and policies that “enhance the success of Canadian canola farmers,” according to a press release. Carey’s position will be based at CCGA’s Ottawa office.

“Dave brings a strong background in strategic leadership and government and industry relations to this new role at CCGA,” says Rick White, chief executive officer at CCGA. “We’re excited he will be joining our team early in the new year. His experience working with various levels of government and collaborating with stakeholders across the agriculture sector will be an asset in serving Canada’s canola farmers.”

Carey moves to the CCGA after serving as the executive director of the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA). Carey as also led government affairs, stakeholder relations, and policy with CSTA. Carey has spent time working on Parliament Hill as staff for several Members of Parliament.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Political Science from Brock University and a Masters Certificate from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

He’ll officially join the CCGA early in 2020.

For the month of November, Canadian Pacific (CP) moved more grain and grain products than any other month in its history. The company delivered 2.74 million metric tonnes (MMT) during November, beating the October 2019 all-time record of 2.66 MMT.

“CP achieved great things last month for the Canadian grain supply chain in close collaboration with our trusted supply chain enablers,” says Joan Hardy, CP’s vice-president sales and marketing, grain and fertilizers. “The CP team will keep open the lines of communication with shippers and government leaders as we push to become even more effective and efficient to meet the growing needs of Canada’s agricultural sector.”

Also, 2,216 CP carloads of grain were unloaded at the Port of Thunder Bay during the week of November 18-24 which breaks its previous record in the fall of 2017, at 2,144 carloads.

Near the end of the month, CP held an Alberta Agriculture Round Table event at Bowden, Alta., with Alberta ministers Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation and Member of Parliament for Red Deer-Mountainview Earl Dreeshen along with CP staff.

CP Rail planning to invest half a billion dollars in 5,900 new hopper cars

According to a news release, attendees discussed the new new 8,500-foot High-Efficiency Product (HEP) train model, grain supply chain capacity and efficiency including the advantages of the HEP model and how to ensure all participants in the supply chain are aligning their organizations to maximize grain movement with CP.

A new study shows the average Canadian family will pay $487 more on food in 2020. Canada’s Food Price Report was released this week by the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute (AFI) in collaboration with Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

The forecast shows the average Canadian household total grocery bill will rise to $12,667. The culprit? The finger is being pointed at the rising cost of meat, produce, and seafood which has gone up anywhere from four to six per cent.

“If U.S. President Donald Trump’s election campaign focuses heavily on Mexico border protection, this may result in even more costly fruit and vegetables for Canadians,” says Professor Simon Somogyi, U of G’s project lead for the report and the holder of the AFI chair in the Business of Food.

“We get a large amount of our fruit and vegetables from the U.S. and Mexico, and delays at the border crossing can lead to empty grocery store shelves.”

Overall, it’s projected the national price jump will be two to four per cent. This increase is slightly higher than last year’s 1.5 to 3.5 per cent hike.

Factors contributing to the price increase also include extreme weather and food recalls, according to Somogyi.

“When rates increase quickly, families can be left behind,” says lead author and Dalhousie project lead Sylvain Charlebois, scientific director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab. “Vegetables are a perfect example. Canada’s new Food Guide is encouraging Canadians to eat more vegetables, but they’re getting more expensive.”

The predicted four per cent jump for produce is in addition to a 12 per cent hike that occurred during the past year.

The 10th annual food forecast full report can be found by clicking here.