The last intact sea
LONDON, ENGLAND—Hurray for sustainability. Commercial fishing for the Antarctic toothfish is permitted in the Ross Sea, provided that the biomass of the spawning stock (total weight of all the fertile adult fish) is still at least half of its previous level 35 years later. And at no time in that 35 years will the spawning […]
The end of cheap food
OTTAWA—For decades, governments in developing countries sought to keep food prices low to depress wages and attract investment in manufacturing. Cheap food also kept a lid on urban discontent, while ensuring a steady supply of cut-rate labour fleeing rural penury. Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Oxfam, and others long argued against this logic. If most hungry people […]
Ontario’s next wine region is…in Ottawa?!
Ottawa is known for many things; Parliament Hill, Canada Day celebrations, the Rideau Canal, and extreme weather. It is not—or at least wasn’t—known for its wine. Until now. KIN Vineyards, in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, is producing some terroir-driven, organically-made masterpieces. You’re probably skeptical that a climate known to drop to -40C in […]
Our livestock drug addiction
There is much to celebrate as we approach 2017, like our 150th anniversary as a nation and initiatives by our federal government for a more innovative, prosperous, clean and healthy Canada. One such important initiative is the commitment of Health Canada to end our current practice of routinely including antibiotics in chicken, pig, and cattle […]
Ag Minister MacAulay ‘not one bit concerned’ by international trade challenge threat
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said he was “not one bit concerned” Thursday about an international lobbying campaign for a legal challenge against a new Canadian dairy industry agreement. “I never was very big on threats in my life,” he said during an appearance before the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee. Mr. MacAulay (Cardigan, P.E.I.) dismissed the push […]
Liberal committee meddling breaks campaign promise, say Conservatives
The Liberal government is breaking a campaign promise by meddling in the affairs of parliamentary committees, say Conservative MPs. Public comments from ministers and departmental staff asking House committees to study issues on certain timelines amount to interference in the work of those committees, and don’t line up with Liberal campaign promises to give the […]
Eyes wide shut: Senate report on aquaculture
MIRAMICHI, N.B.—Recently, the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans reissued its report called An Ocean of Opportunities: Aquaculture in Canada with the gushing headline “Double aquaculture and reap billions,” (Sept. 19,2016). According to the committee’s press release, the Senate committee believes the industry is stymied from achieving this potential by a “hodgepodge of federal and provincial regulations,” […]
Innovation at the heart of Canadian agriculture
REGINA—Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains says he wants to make innovation a core Canadian value because it’s “the path to growth, the path that leads to a stronger middle class and higher quality jobs.” Canada’s agricultural equipment manufacturers have known this for years. In fact, innovation is at the heart of Canadian […]
U.S. lobbyists cheesed off over proposed Canadian dairy policy
Lobby groups in the United States, European Union, and three other countries are leaning on their governments to launch trade challenges against Canada, arguing that proposed changes to help Canada’s dairy farmers compete with diafiltered milk imports amount to a violation of trade law. Canadian dairy producers and processors are working to ratify a national […]
Politics this morning: Finance Committee to hold emergency meeting on CPP
Today is Friday, Sept. 9 In case you missed it (ICYMI): Yesterday, the National Energy Board (NEB) launched a 30-day public consultation process that will gather input from all Canadians wishing to provide feedback about a draft Board Order that would require pipeline companies to make their emergency management programs public by March 31, 2017. Happening today: […]
