Two working groups to be set up to address dairy subsidies and the sector’s future
Successive trade deals have left the Canadian dairy sector fearing the country’s dairy market is being used as a bargaining chip, and in response, the Canadian government has announced the launch of two working groups, in partnership with dairy interest groups, to assess the sector’s future. International competitors have gained about 10 per cent of […]
Risky business: debt in modern agriculture
Canadian farmers are facing serious problems—like extraordinary debt loads, mental health woes and unusually bad harvests in the Prairies—that are encroaching on the sector as a whole. While some of these problems are as old as the industry itself, there are recent shifts that may have far-reaching implications. These issues are bearing down just as […]
Agricultural consequences of the Liberals’ failures
Since I was nominated as shadow minister for agriculture and agri-food in August 2017, I have had the privilege to dive head first in a sector that has been, remains, and will be at the heart of Canada’s economic development. Our ancestors were groundbreakers, farming their land and raising cattle to feed their families and […]
There’s a world of opportunity for Canadian agriculture and food
Canadian agriculture is one of the most innovative and promising sectors of the economy, and is a key part of Canada’s path to prosperity. Our farmers and food processors generate more than $114-billion of our gross domestic product and more than $64-billion of our exports, while employing more Canadians than any other manufacturing industry in […]
Supply-managed sectors must be protected
Supply management is a way for farmers, specifically, those who produce milk, chickens, turkeys, and eggs, to control, through a marketing system, the supply or quantity of their commercial products. It was set up in the 1970s to combat against wild price fluctuations that were hurting farmers, notably price instability and interprovincial trade disputes. The […]
Development of cannabis as a major crop unlike any other commodity
The legalization of cannabis represents a transformational shift that will effect many aspects of our society. While attention usually focuses on social considerations such as health care, crime, and dependency, no sector will be impacted more dramatically than agriculture where legalization has brought a major commodity into legal trade with what amounts to the stroke […]
Agriculture is not immune from the coming climate crisis
On Oct. 15, 2018, the House of Commons held an emergency debate about the IPCC report warning that humanity has—at most—10 to 12 years to avert a global catastrophe. The debate is over, but the emergency is not. We should, as a society, be aware that no part of our economy, our institutions and our […]
Scope of USMCA’s new impacts on our food system relatively limited
The negotiation and completion of the USMCA garnered significant attention. While there are important elements of the agreement, the scope of the new impacts on the food system is relatively limited. There are important impacts in the dairy, chicken, and other supply managed sectors that should be considered. The completion of an agreement has also […]
Agriculture Policy Briefing
Trudeau rebate bumps support for carbon pricing above 50 per cent, poll suggests
The Liberal promise to return directly to Canadians revenue from the upcoming carbon tax has shifted public opinion to give the Grits a slim edge in support and has “mollified” some opponents, according to a poll following last week’s announcement. After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed the Liberals’ plan for provinces that opted not to […]
