Canadian-made, science-based innovation in sustainable agriculture
From a distance, it is difficult to see a connection between a young family sitting at their dinner table in Vancouver and a national network that includes a farmer in Prince Edward Island, an agri-retail store in Saskatchewan, and a researcher in Halifax. Upon closer inspection, however, Canadians from all backgrounds and all regions are […]
‘Trade is vital for our agriculture sector,’ says MacAulay as Canada inks CPTPP
To borrow a sports analogy, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has been playing offence and defence when it comes to seeking international markets for Canadian agricultural products for the past year and a half. For example, Mr. MacAulay (Cardigan, P.E.I.) visited China last year in hopes of opening new markets for Canadian agricultural products. Demand for […]
Under the Liberals, agriculture is an afterthought
By not taking our trade partnerships seriously and ignoring the relationship between international trade and Canadian agriculture is a foolhardy position by the current Liberal government. Canada is the fifth largest net agri-food exporter in the world and it is an integral pillar on our economy especially in rural communities. The need to secure vital […]
Agriculture at a glance
193,492 farms in Canada 5.9 per cent drop in quantity of farms from 2011 to 2016 158.7 million acres of farm area in Canada 0.9 per cent decline in farm area from 2011 to 2016 55 is the average age of farm operators in Canada 1.9 per cent increase in average age from 2011 to […]
Agriculture
How many more rounds of tariffs must Canada endure before the Liberals take trade seriously?
Back in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared in front of the entire world: “Canada is back, and here to help.” More than two years later, the question I continue to ask is: “help who?” The Liberal government has promised to move Canada towards progressive and effective trade relationships; yet, Canadian industries have been taking […]
Aluminum, steel tariffs the latest in ‘laundry list’ of Canada-U.S. trade tussles
While Canadian, Mexican, and American negotiators were in Mexico City in the seventh round of discussion to bring down trade barriers through a revised North American Free Trade Agreement on March 1, United States President Donald Trump was seeking to erect another roadblock, adding to the “laundry list” of trade irritants stacking up in recent months […]
Liberals’ Healthy Eating Strategy serves up a table of junk food
The prime minister’s father, Pierre Trudeau, once said, “There’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” The government may be good at keeping out of our bedrooms, but with the Healthy Eating Strategy, the kitchen is another story. The Liberals are serving up a table of junk food in their Healthy […]
Agriculture lobbyists pushing hard on NAFTA, CPTPP deals: lobbyists registry
Canada’s federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay (Cardigan, P.E.I.) was the most lobbied cabinet minister last month with 19 groups filing communication reports with him, while International Trade was the most lobbied department in the government with 268 communications, according to the January statistics from the federal lobbying registry. Insiders said they were not surprised to […]
Food policies should support small-scale producers
Ten years ago, a spike in food prices ignited a global food crisis that compromised the ability of the world’s poorest people to access an adequate diet. Governments around the world responded by supporting the expansion of large-scale agricultural production, based on the idea that producing more food in this way translates into lower prices […]
