Innovation
Zero-sum debate not helpful to advancing sustainable food production
There is an emerging sense that Canada may be uniquely positioned to reassert its position as a key player in multilateral engagement, following recent meetings by the prime minister in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum and the announcement of Canada’s inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership 2.0. Combine this with the fact that the […]
Building community resilience in Nicaragua: Canadian development assistance at work
This past January, I was very privileged to be invited by the Canada Foodgrains Bank to accompany other Canadian Members of Parliament to visit Nicaragua to witness some of the community agriculture projects supported by the Canadian government. This work is supported by non-governmental organizations, including the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, USC Canada, and the World […]
Why this backbench MP is lobbied more than most ministers
Canada’s most-lobbied backbench MP in 2017, Francis Drouin, is a “rising star” who’s developed a reputation as a rural champion, say lobbyists. Mr. Drouin’s 136 communications posted to the lobbyist registry in 2017 are connected to agriculture, tied to his work on the House Agriculture Committee and the interests of his Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Ont., constituents. A […]
Blanket claims cloud conversation on meat taxes: Cattlemen’s Association
There has been a lot of rhetoric in the media recently about meat taxes with the inference that eating less meat will reduce ones’ carbon footprint. Unfortunately, balance and context are often absent from this complex discussion, particularly around the Canadian agricultural environment, which is unique in the world. For example, cattle grazing supports the […]
Where’s the beef? Industry stakeholders cry foul over Health Canada food guide freeze-out
Industry groups shut out of in-person consultations with Health Canada in its current effort to overhaul Canada’s Food Guide have delivered their concerns—and their own set of potentially competing goals—to politicians and other federal departments. Health Canada declared in 2016 that it would not meet one-on-one with industry groups while revamping its food guidelines because […]
We should tax meat and subsidize fruits and vegetables
Nothing elicits grumbles quite like talking about taxes. Governments around the world tax income, carbon, alcohol, tobacco, sugar, houses, inheritances, even saturated fat. And these taxes can be not insignificant; in Canada, for example, 35 per cent of the pump price for gas is tax. If a group of investors managing trillions of dollars is […]
Canada needs to adopt Blockchain technology to meet ambitious agriculture and food goals
In February, Dominic Barton and the Advisory Committee on Economic Growth set an audacious goal for the country. To become the world’s trusted supplier of safe sustainable food for the 21st century and in doing so double our agri-food exports. The aspiration to market our food as “safe and sustainable” took a beating in August […]
Deep bench bolsters NAFTA trade team facing ‘unworkable’ U.S. demands
As Canada rejects what its chief NAFTA negotiator calls “entirely unworkable” U.S. proposals, a deep bench is working around the clock to keep the tripartite agreement alive. After appearing before the House Trade Committee Monday, Steve Verheul said Canada has yet to offer a counterproposal on American demands some consider “poison pills”—among them attacking supply […]
Supply management keeps ‘family farming’ alive in Canada
Renegotiating NAFTA is not a simple task, and the potential effects of such an important trade agreement go far beyond what we hear in the news. While Canadian, American and Mexican farmers have commonly asked our governments to “do no harm” when it comes to our industries—a position that has since then been adopted by […]
