Dairy, egg, and poultry farmers will be compensated in this year’s budget just revealed by Finance Minister, Bill Morneau. The compensation is for losses stemming from international trade agreements. The Liberal government has proposed up to $3.9 billion in “support” for supply-managed farmers. The funding follows the recent ratifications of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade… Read More

The federal government has made it very clear that it expects Canadian agriculture to grow, scale-up, and increase production — for both domestic and international markets. China is a key destination for several Canadian commodities, and a trade mission this week is yielding some very positive results. Last week, Canada sent four high-level ministers to… Read More

Accountants and business owners concerned about how Ottawa was going to treat passive income received a somewhat pleasant surprise in the 2018 federal budget. After backpedaling on several major planks of their controversial proposal to change how small businesses are taxed last fall, the Liberals finally shared details on how passive investment income will be… Read More

With a tractor and bales as a backdrop, Finance Minister Bill Morneau made the latest in a series of political damage control announcements regarding the Liberals’ proposed tax changes on Thursday morning. Facing serious conflict-of-interest and ethics questions about his own finances, Morneau left Ottawa to make the announcement with Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay at… Read More

Finance Minister Bill Morneau made a second announcement regarding changes to the Liberals’ small business tax proposal on Wednesday, focusing on the passive investment income policy. He said the government will allow up to $50,000 in passive income in a year before higher tax rates kick in to provide flexibility for business owners who want… Read More

This was probably not the scenario Bill Morneau envisioned when he decided to leave his Bay Street executive position and run for the Liberals in the 2015 federal election. The finance minister has quickly fallen from star candidate status to liability, as underlined by Prime Minister Trudeau’s awkward attempts to block reporters from questioning him… Read More

Finance Minister Bill Morneau asked several Opposition MPs to send him contact information for Canadians concerned about the Liberals’ proposed tax reforms during Question Period on Monday, saying he would call these individuals personally. After hearing Morneau say this, some farmers and small business owners picked up the phone to call the minister, only to… Read More

The federal government is finding ways to spend $19 billion more than promised during the election campaign last fall. Some of that money will be spent in agriculture-related areas. Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s first budget, unveiled Tuesday, projects a $29.4 billion deficit in 2016-17 — well beyond the $10 billion deficit outlined by the Liberals leading up to the… Read More