Promoting, not defending supply management
Recently I shocked a group of farmers by telling them: “I’m tired of defending supply management!” As a Member of Parliament often known as “the chicken farmer,” I caused a stir in the room until I quickly added: “No, I want to promote supply management.” Supply management has been under attack in international trade negotiations. […]
Rookie Agriculture Minister Speller suspects Canada-U.S. border to open ‘very soon’ to transporting live cattle
Agriculture Minister Bob Speller, who went to Washington, D.C., with the Prime Minister and other Cabinet ministers to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush, told The Hill Times that he believes the Canada-U.S. border will be opened up to transporting live cattle “very soon” and likely before the summer. “Well, the comment period just […]
Ottawa must respect Quebec’s differences in agriculture
This is a difficult period for agriculture. The mad cow crisis in Alberta is just the latest in a series of blows that have led to a steady drop in farmers’ incomes. The Farm Product Price Index (FPPI) is lower today than it was eight years ago, while production costs continue to rise. When Paul […]
Bio-security protocol breached by humans in avian flu crisis, according to chief veterinarian of CFIA, says NDP’s Proctor
In politics, it’s good to be lucky and lucky to be good. Recently-minted Agriculture Minister Bob Speller has enjoyed some of each. Although the second case of mad cow disease last December was devastating for cattle farmers the timing for the minister — nine days after being sworn into Cabinet — could not have been […]
Agriculture in Canada needs a framework for prosperity
It has been said the road to hell is paved with good intentions and though the Liberal government hasn’t paid much attention to paving roads lately, the destination they have in mind for rural Canadians seems to be the same. Struggling with an endless stream of misdirected regulations, excessive taxes and costs, and curious forms […]
Energy
Government should be attracting capital investment in energy
The energy sector is one of the most important industries in the Canadian economy. It accounts for 45 per cent of our trade balance and is the single largest private investor in Canada. In public policy discourse, though, its significance remains under-appreciated. There is neither a Parliamentary committee solely devoted to energy and resource issues, […]
Efford says key priority: to streamline regulatory process
Federal Energy Minister John Efford, who quickly emerged as a big supporter of the nuclear industry when he told industry executives at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa recently that he was there to serve the best interests of the industry, says he will continue to “champion Canada’s nuclear industry.” A scrappy former provincial Newfoundland […]
Is revitalizing nuclear industry best for Canadian energy? Nope
The environment cannot sustain our current use of natural resources. The federal Liberal government appears to be talking out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to the natural resources of this country, claiming to be focused on green renewable technologies while supporting the nuclear industry. According to the budget plan 2004, the […]
Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canadian economy
On Dec. 12, 2003, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed me to the Privy Council as Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Industry, with special emphasis on Entrepreneurs and New Canadians. The new Privy Council, which for the first time includes Parliamentary Secretaries, has been designed to strengthen the social foundations of Canadian life, to build […]
