Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and his staff are looking for ways to reduce the federal agriculture budget by three per cent, in line with what's been asked of other federal departments. That's one of the pieces of information gleaned from a one-on-one interview with Minister MacAulay, recorded Thursday, Nov. 9. MacAulay says he never dreamed... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The majority of senators rejected an amended version of Bill C-234 in a pivotal vote on Tuesday, clearing the path for the proposed on-farm carbon tax exemption to move ahead for third reading and one step closer to Royal Assent. The private member's bill, which was introduced by Ontario MP Ben Lobb in February 2022... Read More
British cheese companies are ramping up pressure on the UK government to reach a deal with Canada before they lose preferential market access in the Canadian market on December 31. With the deadline looming, the cheese import issue has been linked with Canada's long-standing quest for increased beef market access into the UK. According to... Read More
Bill C-234 will face a pivotal vote in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon. The bill, designed to remove the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms, received final approval from MPs in the House of Commons in March. However, it was amended by the Senate's agriculture committee last month, as senators... Read More
If you've ever attended a formal meeting, it starts with an agenda and an agreement of what's to be discussed. These two simple things are actually profoundly important to a productive, respectful meeting. An agreed-upon agenda is just one small part of good governance, says Deb Stark, independent board member and former deputy minister of... Read More
The Canadian agriculture exporters' lobby group is saying no to proposed legislation it says could seriously undermine the country's trade interests. Michael Harvey, executive director of Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), says that Bill C-282 poses a major risk by tying negotiators' hands, and signalling weakness to global competitors — all but inviting other countries... Read More
New Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew's mandate letter for the province's agriculture minister was made public on Monday. Ron Kostyshyn has returned as Manitoba's ag minister for a second term, after representing the agriculture portfolio in cabinet from 2012 to 2016 in the province's last NDP government. "Agriculture is the backbone of our provincial economy. As... Read More
Farm groups are calling on senators to reject any amendments to Bill C-234 coming from the Senate's agriculture and forestry committee. The private member's bill, which was was originally designed to remove the federal carbon price or tax from natural gas and propane used on farms for activities such as drying grain and heating barns... Read More
The proposed legislation aimed at removing the federal carbon tax from propane and natural gas used on farms is only a few steps away from becoming law, but the actions of a few senators last week have created a high stakes political scenario that will determine whether Bill C-234 lives — or ends up on... Read More
Michael Flynn has been named as the first executive director for Alberta Grains. Alberta Grains is the new organization created by the amalgamation of the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, as of August 1, 2023. Flynn brings diverse experience in policy development, stakeholder engagement, and operations management to the organization and is poised to make... Read More