Ahead of this week's federal budget, farmers in Ontario and points east were eagerly anticipating news of how approximately $34.1 million collected against sales of fertilizer was going to be spent in an effort to "return" the proceeds to those who paid the tariff. The answer to that question is what we lead off with... Read More
Category: Agriculture Policy
The United Kingdom has reached an agreement to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, better known as the CPTPP. It's the first time a new member has joined the CPTPP since the original 11 Pacific Rim countries, including Canada, reached the deal in 2018. From an agricultural perspective, the Canadian Cattle Association... Read More
Bill C-234 — the private member's bill that would remove the federal carbon tax from natural gas and propane used on farms — received final approval at third reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday. The bill passed with a 176-146 vote, as Conservative, New Democrat, Bloc Quebecois, and Green Party MPs voted in... Read More
The federal budget announced earlier this week had a handful of agriculture-related commitments, including $333 million over 10 years for the establishment of the Dairy Innovation and Investment Fund. The fund, set to be administered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is for research and development of new products that use solids non-fat (SNF), market development... Read More
Within hours of Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, introducing the 2023-24 federal budget, comments in support of or criticism against the government's proposed budget began to roll in. Livestock groups, including the Canadian Cattle Association and Dairy Farmers of Canada, are welcoming the government's commitment to establishing a Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) disease... Read More
The winter of 2013-14 stands out in the minds of many who were involved in growing and marketing grain in Western Canada as the year of the massive grain backlog, as railways struggled to meet demand for moving crops from country elevators to export markets. With no access to water, like the St. Lawrence or... Read More
In its brand new budget, the federal government has set out $43 billion in new spending over six years and a predicted $40 billion deficit for the 2023-24 fiscal year (up from $30 billion projected last fall). There are several spending programs aimed at Canadians as a whole, including more money for children's dental health... Read More
Japan is reopening its doors to processed beef from Canada, removing the last restrictions it has had in place since 2003, after the discovery of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Alberta. Japan is Canada’s third-largest market for agriculture and food exports. "Under the new Indo-Pacific Strategy, the federal government committed to seizing... Read More
Premier Doug Ford's government released its latest budget for Ontario, with a major focus on health care and housing. Tucked in the budget, however, are a few items directly or indirectly applicable to agriculture in the province, including a focus on improving veterinary access in under-serviced areas, support for trades, and a manufacturing credit. In... Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) continues to press the federal government to make good on its promise to return the approximately $34 million in tariffs it collected from farmers on Russian fertilizer imports in 2022. The Liberal government has pledged to return the money to the agriculture sector but Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food... Read More