Keith Currie, who farms at Collingwood, Ont., is currently one of two vice presidents of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Early next week, he'll stand in front of the membership and ask them to vote him in as the new president, following two years of leadership under Don McCabe. It's a critical time for... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
This is an editorial column written by Brian Innes, president of CAFTA (Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance): Threats to rip up NAFTA and trash the TPP send a chill down the spines of Canadians whose livelihoods depend on trade. And while the Trump administration’s action plan is not yet clear, it is crystal clear that Canada’s... Read More
Sheep farmers in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have formed a new partnership to continue to move the sheep industry in Canada forward. Ontario and Alberta were the most recent provincial organizations to withdraw support of the Canadian Sheep Federation. The National Sheep Network – comprising of the Alberta Lamb Producers, the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency... Read More
Canada is moving towards a national food policy, so says the marching orders handed down to federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay in mandate letters set out last fall. Prime Minister Trudeau has tasked MacAulay to "develop a food policy that promotes healthy living and safe food by putting more healthy, high-quality food, produced by Canadian... Read More
Manitoba farmers are pushing the province's new government to make changes to its property tax system after taxes owed on farmland climbed dramatically this year. Depending on the municipality and school division, property taxes rose between $2 and $29 per acre year-over-year, explains Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, in the interview below. There... Read More
With the election of Donald Trump this week, Canadians have reacted with comments falling into predictable camps. Like all people in society, Trudeau and Trump both have strengths and weaknesses and our view of their characteristics can follow party lines. Liberals brag that Canada has a "decent," compassionate leader that believes in climate change, equality,... Read More
The federal government is committing $350 million to helping the dairy sector adjust to increased import competition under the Canada-European Union trade deal (CETA). Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced two new programs at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa on Thursday. $250 million over five years will be made available to producers to update their... Read More
Canadian farmers could be among the first to see if U.S. president-elect Donald Trump can live in two worlds – the one in which he keeps his supporters happy, and the other one that keeps the rest of the planet from succumbing to chaos. In his acceptance speech Tuesday, Trump assured the world that he... Read More
Donald Trump has been clear about what he thinks of the North American Free Trade Agreement, calling it different versions of "the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere" throughout his campaign. Now that he's the president-elect, Trump having the unilateral ability to pull the U.S. out of NAFTA on six months notice is a... Read More
There's no long-term trend talk of any agriculture commodity sector, it seems, that doesn't include at least some reference to China. After all, it's not just a populous country, it's a huge economic driver and consumer of Canadian agriculture products. Imagine, then, what it would mean to have the Chinese market closed, a market worth... Read More