The Canadian Grain Commission has come out with a plan to cut its user fees by 24 percent as of August 1, 2017. In the April 22nd edition of Canada Gazette, the CGC proposed reducing the amount charged for its official inspection and weighing services by $0.44 per tonne or just under $10 million (from... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
Since the election of Donald Trump, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been under threat. Initially, the harsh words of walls, import tariffs, and immigration reform were directed squarely at Mexico. That all changed this week when president Trump "laid down the law" in an effort to make Canada quiver insecurely in its... Read More
Trade between the NAFTA nations has become mainstream news on a daily basis. Trade relations between Canada and the United States seems to be getting cooler as the battle over lumber, energy, and dairy heats up. The Canadian and American agriculture economies are very linked and, as highlighted by Kevin Grier in his March edition... Read More
Canada's ambassador to the United States is rejecting President Donald Trump's assertion that Canadian dairy policies are to blame for challenges faced by U.S. dairy producers. The dispute over dairy trade policy has gained mainstream media attention after Trump accused Canada during a stop in Wisconsin on Tuesday of "a typical one-sided deal against the... Read More
The Alberta government has tabled legislation to once again give producer groups the option of making their check-offs non-refundable. Before 2009, the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act gave commissions the option of refundable or non-refundable service charges. Provincial beef, pork, lamb and potato commissions collected non-refundable check-offs until 2009, when the Ed Stelmach government changed... Read More
Canadian durum exports to the home of pasta are facing a potential political trade barrier. Italy is moving toward implementing a mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) policy for pasta, similar to the COOL rules the U.S. imposed on beef and pork from 2008 to 2015. The Italian government has drafted regulations that would require all pasta... Read More
Canada’s largest agriculture lender believes predictions of a re-negotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are premature and a patient strategy is the best path forward for the Canadian government and the country’s supply managed sector. Speaking at the Canadian Dairy XPO last week in Stratford, Ont., Farm Credit Canada agricultural economist Jean-Philippe Gervais told... Read More
Late last week, Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial governments announced concluded negotiations of a new Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). The CFTA replaces the existing Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), which has been in place since 1995. The CFTA will take effect July 1, 2017, and is designed to "reduce barriers to trade, investment, and... Read More
As the Canadian government contemplates moving forward on a free trade agreement with China, the canola industry sees tremendous potential to increase exports to the country that already imports more canola seed than any other. That's because Canadian canola seed headed to China currently faces a nine percent tariff, whereas the tariff on soybeans is... Read More
This column is long overdue. It should have been written shortly after Trudeau announced plans for a mandatory national price on carbon emissions during harvest in early October. Or even earlier, when some provincial governments started announcing their carbon tax or cap and trade programs. For all the time that's passed and words that have... Read More