The new president of Manitoba's general farm organization says advocating for farmers when it comes to policies around sustainability and the environment is at the top of her to-do list as she steps into the role. Jill Verwey was elected president of Keystone Agricultural Producers at KAP's annual general meeting last month. As she explains... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
In watching all of the tweets, headlines, and instagram posts from across Canada, it's clear our industry knows how to celebrate. That's a great thing — but what about the next steps required? Let me be clear: I think Canada's Ag Day is a great idea, as it brings awareness to the industry with policy... Read More
Farmers and the agriculture industry are still waiting to hear about "What we heard" when it comes to the federal government's fertilizer emissions reduction target. This week, at the Future of Food event at Ottawa, Ont., Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau was quite positive about the timeline of a fertilizer tariff money announcement... Read More
If you're paying attention to social media today — February 15th, 2023 — you'll likely notice those involved in the agriculture industry are celebrating Canada's Agriculture Day across the country. For me, personally, there's no better way to celebrate Canadian agriculture than by catching up with farmers across the country on RealAg Radio, and seeing... Read More
As I make my way across Canada and the U.S. in the first part of 2023, I am very struck by the hatred that farmers have for the word sustainability. It seems that the word spawns real contempt for an urban consumer that misunderstands the activities on the farm. Sustainability is everywhere. It always has... Read More
Lobbying is one way to shape public policy. Lobbying is also a long-game — where building relationships, meeting, and continuing dialogue all play a role in whose issue of the day gets put on the front burner. A government has to decide its priorities across industries, based on its own goals and ideals, and also... Read More
Changes are coming to the top of the civil service within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday that Chris Forbes, a veteran in federal agriculture policy circles, having served as deputy minister of the agriculture department since 2017, will be moving to... Read More
The 10 per cent top-up to the federal government's carbon tax rebate for rural Canadians should be re-evaluated, according to a Liberal MP from rural Nova Scotia. As part of debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday over a Conservative motion to cancel the federal price on carbon, Kody Blois told his colleagues he... Read More
Canada is an exporting nation, of that there can be no doubt. While some countries struggle to produce enough to feed its people, Canada produces more than double what it needs. That creates a clear opportunity, and some would say responsibility, to export food and food ingredients world-wide. Ted Bilyea, distinguished fellow with the Canadian... Read More
A private member's bill that aims to prevent further market access concessions for supply managed commodities in Canada was approved at second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday, and was referred to the Standing Committee on International Trade. Bill C-282, sponsored by Bloc MP Luc Thériault, would amend existing legislation to prevent Canada's... Read More