Negotiators for the 11 remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), including Canada, have reached a new deal following a two-day meeting in Japan. “Today, I am pleased to announce that Canada and the 10 other remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership concluded discussions in Tokyo, Japan, on a new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Round 6 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks are about to begin in Montreal, and interested parties will be gauging the mood of the discussions closely. Over the weekend, there were several articles on the grumpiness of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on the topic of the Canadian negotiation strategy at the... Read More
"This is most certainly not a toxic Superfund site.” As part of a National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) campaign video, the organization's chief environmental council, Scott Yager, stands in a Virginia pasture, overlooking a herd of grazing cattle, in only a portion of the yellow hazmat suit he donned at a hazardous waste site in... Read More
With Australia and Japan saying they want to finalize the deal by March, Canadian agriculture groups are reiterating the importance of Canada participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (now officially known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership or CPTPP.) There have been serious questions about Canada's participation in the Pacific trade deal after Prime Minister... Read More
From the inception of the Liberal government's carbon tax plan, agriculture has had major reservations. Farm group leaders have expressed concerns over rising costs, decreasing global competitiveness and a lack of recognition for agriculture's role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Farm groups have lobbied hard to either be omitted from the pricing, or to receive... Read More
The Canola Council of Canada is moving on without a core funder for 2018, as Richardson International went public with its withdrawal from the national canola industry group this week. Richardson has said it did not receive enough value to justify its investment in the Canola Council, after pushing for changes to the council over... Read More
The Liberal government's minimum wage hike will cost Ontario fruit and vegetable growers $297 million over the next two years. The impact on the industry was calculated by professional consultants and presented to all levels of the provincial government, but Premier Kathleen Wynne, Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and senior bureaucrats chose not to listen,... Read More
It was a timeline that was described as aggressive and fast, but not totally impossible. Early in the NAFTA renegotiations, everyone recognized that attempting to complete the negotiations within a seven month timeline was going to be difficult, but optimists thought our economic bond would win in the end. The July 1st Mexican election and... Read More
One of Canada's largest grain companies says it has withdrawn from the country's canola and flax industry groups, leaving the Canola Council of Canada and the Flax Council of Canada with tough budget decisions for 2018. Richardson International, the parent company of Richardson Pioneer, is no longer funding the two national oilseed organizations as of... Read More
After an event that featured congressmen, senators, the U.S. agriculture secretary, Canada's minister of agriculture, and even the president of the United States, NAFTA renegotiation and the future of agricultural trade between Canada and the U.S. is still in limbo. On Sunday, Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay addressed the large crowd at the American Farm... Read More