Opinion
Nearly $2-billion in government subsidies does little to improve animal welfare
By Riana Topan October 2, 2019
A quick scan of these subsidies, available on Agriculture Canada’s website, reveals that 22 of the largest ones—together amounting to more than $1.9-billion—were provided to animal agribusiness, including the dairy, pork, beef, and chicken industries.
We need a far more robust investment in animal welfare in the agriculture sector, writes Riana Topan, campaign manager with Humane Society International/Canada. Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash
No matter how you feel about paying taxes, you probably don’t like to see them wasted. One of the worst things a government can do is spend precious taxpayer dollars in ways that do not reflect the priorities and values of the majority of its citizens. So it is particularly frustrating to see our government prop up huge, multi-billion-dollar private industries in animal agriculture, which today is represented primarily by operations that are more like factories instead of the small, family-owned farms we once knew.
Related Stories
-
Sponsored Content
Europe Day 2021
Explore, analyze, understand
Inside Ottawa Directory – 2019 Edition
The handy reference guide includes: riding profiles, MPs by province, MP contact details, both Hill and constituency and more.
Get the book
The handy reference guide includes: riding profiles, MPs by province, MP contact details, both Hill and constituency and more.
Get the book
Related Policy Briefings
Agriculture Policy Briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Agriculture Policy Briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Health Policy Briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Short and informative analyses on policy challenges that bring background and recommendations to policymakers, journalists and the general public.
Read policy briefing
Politics This Morning
Your email has been added. An email has been sent to your address, please click the link inside of it to confirm your subscription.
Feds should tout vaccine costs as ‘leverage’ in future talks with premiers, says expert
While a ‘missed opportunity’ in the earlier days of the pandemic, some observers worry tying strings to provincial and territorial access to potentially life-saving vaccines could be seen as ‘unethical.’Election speculation, party conventions likely boosted fundraising haul, say strategists
With so much of everyday life migrating online due to the pandemic, says Michael Edwards of Sussex Strategy, the potential for engaging political supporters who weren’t initially comfortable doing transactions has grown.Former cabinet minister Sohi to officially launch Edmonton mayoral bid soon, sources say
Prof. Duane Bratt says Amarjeet Sohi would be the ‘front-runner’ in the mayoral election, where at least six candidates have officially joined the race to succeed Don Iveson.Liberal MPs in Toronto’s hot spots ramp up outreach to support mass immunization, address hesitancy
The province should have targeted vaccines to hot-spot neighbourhoods earlier, before Toronto was ‘on fire’ with COVID cases, says Liberal MP Judy Sgro. Health Canada gives green light to administer Pfizer vaccine to those aged 12-15
Officials were unable to immediately say how the approval will impact the country’s overall herd immunity goal, which has been described as a moving target by experts as more vaccines come online.Committee jurisdiction unresolved as MPs await study on privacy bill
Conservatives say sending the bill to the Ethics Committee is an attempt to distract the committee from its ongoing work on the WE Charity controversy, while Liberals say Ethics is the natural spot for a privacy bill. What’s up PROC? Committee filibuster over prorogation study passes 40-hour mark
‘I don’t need to hear from Chrystia Freeland … about their most recent budget for 90 minutes in order to understand the decision about prorogation,’ says NDP MP Daniel Blaikie of a Liberal-suggested compromise. Constitutional challenge to sex work laws ‘succeeded before’ and will succeed again, says advocacy group
The current set of laws prohibit working together as well as safely advertising, puts sex workers at undue risk and potentially violates their charter rights.A national strategy on transgender health care is needed, advocates and experts say
'There are clear, glaring gaps in coverage and standards for transgender health care in Canada,' says Conservative health critic Michelle Rempel Garner.Trending Stories
