It’s time to require CCTV in Canadian slaughter plants
Use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in slaughter plants is evolving globally. In preparation for Brexit, the U.K. passed legislation in May requiring CCTV in all British slaughter plants. Both countries and corporations recognize CCTV as an effective tool to ensure better treatment of animals. For example, Cargill, a multi-national slaughter company, adopted CCTV as policy, […]
Parliament must pass CPTPP before summer recess
Legislation to implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is now in Parliament. Canada has a chance to demonstrate much-needed leadership and co-operation on trade with like-minded global partners. It is imperative for Parliament to pass this legislation before its summer recess. This agreement will unlock valuable trade opportunities all while enhancing prospects for the […]
Politics This Morning: Trudeau to meet dairy lobby; Bibeau, Champagne to talk women empowerment
Good Tuesday morning, After taking a personal day to regroup and process the verbal attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be back on the Hill. At 9 a.m., he’ll attend a cabinet meeting and will be in Question Period to face the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s loaded tweets. The prime […]
Agriculture minister most lobbied in February as trade, grain shipments topped industry interests
Lobbyists targeted Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay three times as often as his nearest cabinet colleague in February, as industry groups pushed trade interests and raised the alarm about a “crisis” in grain shipments, according to the latest lobby filings. Agriculture was the third-most popular subject lobbyists spoke to office holders about last month, with 373 mentions. Despite […]
Time for a global Canadian food policy
The government is soon to release a new food policy for Canada. With six departments actively engaged, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the helm, the national food policy has occasioned an ambitious and often contentious—but widely welcomed—debate. The engagement of so many departments, not least Health Canada, speaks to the growing understanding in policy […]
Free my grapes: Dismantling Canada’s interprovincial barriers to trade
In June 2016, the Senate of Canada released a report entitled “Tear Down These Walls: Dismantling Canada’s Internal Trade Barriers,” which called upon federal and provincial/territorial governments to take priority action on removing internal barriers to trade. The Senate views this call to action as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for growth and prosperity […]
How Canada and the IICA are trying to ease climate change’s harm to family farms in the Americas
My recent visit to Ottawa resulted in the strengthening of cooperation efforts to benefit vulnerable areas in the Americas. The agency I lead, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), together with several prestigious and active organizations based in Canada, such as the International Development Research Centre and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, […]
Groups on all sides of the food policy debate urge feds to think fresh on governance
Players from across the food and nutrition landscape in Canada, including industry and health advocates, are calling for better engagement from Ottawa in drafting a cohesive national food policy. An ad-hoc group representing 53 different organizations is pressuring the federal government to create an arms-length “national food policy advisory council” that would feature stakeholders from all sides […]
‘It’s like a series of dominoes’: NDP, Conservatives push for action to clear grain shipment backlog
Opposition MPs are growing increasingly frustrated with the Liberals’ lack of concrete action on the grain shipment backlog, but they also say the problem will be solved once Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act—currently in the Senate—receives royal assent. Conservative MP John Barlow (Foothills, Alta.), his party’s associate agriculture critic, is calling on the government […]
Government trade deals leave Canadian farmers feeling put out to pasture
The supply management sector of Canadian agriculture has been thriving vibrantly for decades, without reliance on the level of subsidies that its U.S. and European Union counterparts depend on for success. However, the Government of Canada, despite its repeated assurances of support, is set to deliver “death by a thousand cuts” to supply-managed sectors through […]
