A private member's bill that would have required a GM label to sell "any food that is genetically modified" was defeated in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Quebec NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault introduced the draft legislation (read the Bill C-291 here), with NDP agriculture critic Ruth Ellen Brosseau speaking in favour of it. As... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
18 months after former Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced he was stepping down, the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), and the Official Opposition, is into its final days. Rona Ambrose gave her final major speech as interim leader this week, and CPC members from across the country... Read More
Farm and crop industry groups are welcoming the legislation introduced by Transport Minister Marc Garneau on Tuesday. Bill C-49 would, among other things, give shippers the ability to charge reciprocal penalties to railways for poor performance, clarify of the definition of "adequate and suitable" service, and increase requirements for railway reporting and contingency planning —... Read More
Several of Canada's largest farm organizations are united in calling for a comprehensive review of the government's business risk management (BRM) programs for farmers. In government lingo, the BRM acronym refers to AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance (which includes crop insurance) — all programs that are intended to help farmers manage against volatile weather and... Read More
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau introduced draft legislation on Tuesday that includes long-awaited changes to the rules governing grain transportation by rail. Bill C-49 will, among other things, give shippers the right to seek reciprocal financial penalties in service agreements with railways, define "adequate and suitable" rail service, and implement new data reporting requirements for... Read More
India's government has taken a positive step toward resolving the uncertainty surrounding its rules for Canadian pulse crop shipments, according to Saskatchewan Pulse Growers and Pulse Canada. Technically, India has required fumigation of imports at port of origin since 2004. Canadian peas and lentils have traditionally been exempt, as India has repeatedly issued six-month waivers... Read More
The United States announced this week that it had an agreement to increase beef exports to China. Lately much of the trade focus has been on holding on to existing markets but possible changes are afoot as President Donald Trump threatens to renegotiate NAFTA. The U.S./Canada beef industry relationship is more than one of just... Read More
Agriculture ministers from across Canada met in Ottawa this week, with the agenda focused on finalizing the agriculture policy framework to replace Growing Forward 2, which ends in March 2018. The ministers are aiming to sign off on a new federal-provincial-territorial agreement at their next meeting in St. John's in July, but they have yet... Read More
Over the last few months, the Conservative leadership contest has thrust a highly emotional issue for rural Canada into the spotlight— is supply management worth keeping or not? If you aren’t aware of the issue, one candidate, Maxime Bernier, is looking to eliminate the system. The rest of the field of candidates have said they... Read More
Italy's government says it is moving ahead with a plan to implement mandatory country of origin labeling requirements on pasta, potentially impacting the competitiveness of Canadian durum wheat in one of its largest markets. The Italian government notified the European Commission about its intentions this week, according to the country's agriculture minister, Maurizio Martina. (As... Read More