Manitoba farmers won't be paying a carbon tax on farm fuel, but questions remain about other costs that farms will bear from carbon pricing and where new tax revenues will be spent. Premier Brian Pallister and Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires unveiled the province's "Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan" on Friday. The federal government wants... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
Since the U.S. opened the NAFTA talks, and even before that, U.S. Dairy Export Council President Tom Vilsack has been pushing hard for more dairy access in the Canadian market. He has stressed the need for increased competition in North America, saying the consumer will ultimately win. I've heard him speak several times and the... Read More
RealAg's Shaun Haney had the chance to be the guest host on AgriTalk, the leading U.S. agriculture radio program, filling in for Mike Adams on Thursday. With all the issues surrounding NAFTA, it was an opportunity for the American audience to hear the issues and opinions through a Canadian lens. Find other episodes of Agritalk... Read More
With a tractor and bales as a backdrop, Finance Minister Bill Morneau made the latest in a series of political damage control announcements regarding the Liberals' proposed tax changes on Thursday morning. Facing serious conflict-of-interest and ethics questions about his own finances, Morneau left Ottawa to make the announcement with Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay at... Read More
Finance Minister Bill Morneau made a second announcement regarding changes to the Liberals' small business tax proposal on Wednesday, focusing on the passive investment income policy. He said the government will allow up to $50,000 in passive income in a year before higher tax rates kick in to provide flexibility for business owners who want... Read More
As round four of the NAFTA talks comes to a close, you have to wonder why it took the U.S. this long to finally come around to the stiff demands laid out in round four. From auto to dairy, the U.S. provided a list of demands that Canada and Mexico have described as unacceptable, and,... Read More
This was probably not the scenario Bill Morneau envisioned when he decided to leave his Bay Street executive position and run for the Liberals in the 2015 federal election. The finance minister has quickly fallen from star candidate status to liability, as underlined by Prime Minister Trudeau's awkward attempts to block reporters from questioning him... Read More
The tone surrounding NAFTA negotiations certainly turned during the fourth round of talks, which wrapped up Tuesday in Arlington, Virginia. Pessimistic or gloomy would be appropriate descriptors, definitely out of tune, even if you're optimistic. After three rounds with little progress, U.S. negotiators came out swinging, tabling multiple 'non-starters' in the eyes of Canada and... Read More
The federal government's announcement that it will reduce the small business tax rate over the next two years and cancel plans for new restrictions to lifetime capital gains exemptions is "a positive sign," according to the president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Small Business and... Read More
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Small Business and Tourism Minister Bardish Chagger took a quick trip to Stouffville, Ontario on Monday morning to announce the lowering of small business tax rates, and a change to the controversial small business tax proposal they introduced in July. "We made a promise to middle... Read More