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 […]
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 […]
