May 3, 2024 will go down as "a ground-breaking day for Canadian agriculture," says the Canada Grains Council's vice-president for trade policy and seed innovation. That's because the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) published the third and final update regarding the rules for gene-edited crops going forward, clearing a regulatory pathway for them to be... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
This week, the Auditor General published an evaluation of the federal government has implemented its climate plan for agriculture, and the results were not good. My initial reaction to this was not shock or surprise, as the targets seemed lofty, difficult to measure, disconnected from actual practices, and more designed to grab headlines than actually... Read More
In the last eight years plus, Canadians have been asked to consult on several different proposed policy changes by the federal government. Some of these consultations move a policy forward. Others, like the Grain Act review process or the Sustainable Ag Strategy, results in a "What we heard" document and not much more. Then, there's... Read More
Canada is in the extremely fortunate position of having an abundance of one of the world's most critical resources — one that is often taken for granted, until there's not enough, or too much. Whether talking about multi-year droughts, algal blooms on Lake Erie, or economic potential through irrigation, there are massive opportunities and challenges... Read More
Canada's Auditor General was highly critical of the federal government's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture in an independent report released on Tuesday. The audit found Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has failed to design, implement and then track plans for how the agriculture sector will contribute to Canada’s 2030 and 2050 greenhouse... Read More
What's it going to take to maintain and grow Canadian agriculture in the future? After all, that's ultimately the definition of that word "sustainable" that we hear so often these days. Whether you consider yourself a full-fledged ag policy nerd or just dabble every now and then, we're excited to let you know that the... Read More
The possibility of both CN Rail and CPKC striking in the next month could leave farmers sitting on grain contracted for delivery this spring. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC), the union representing more than nine thousand CN and CPKC railway workers, organized an electronic strike vote beginning on April 8th to give members the... Read More
It's unlikely the U.S. Farm Bill gets passed in 2024 by Shaun Haney's estimates, but what does Jim Wiesemeyer, D.C. policy analyst for Pro Farmer magazine think? Plenty of things need to happen for this bill to be passed, Wiesemeyer says, but there is some impetus to get well into the process by June. That's... Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay has announced the appointment of David Hunt as the new chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. Hunt will replace Doug Chorney, whose term expires at the end of April. Chorney chose to not re-apply for the job. Hunt has worked for the Manitoba government since 2007, starting as a... Read More
Incorporated farms in provinces where the federal carbon tax is collected should receive a little more back on their tax return under the "Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses" proposed in the federal budget last week. The federal government said it would "urgently" return more than $2.5 billion in accrued carbon tax revenue going back... Read More