This week has been laced with trade threats, drama, and fear for agricultural commodity markets, all based on the possibility of a trade war between the U.S. and China. Most economists agree that though a trade war has yet to start, there is a serious flirtation with one. And no matter what President Trump tells... Read More
Category: Politics
Rural Ontario has long been seething at provincial Liberals for a list of problems it lays at their feet. Now, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has added a new villain to the list of those it says should show more love for rural Ontario: that is, urbanites. Prior to the provincial budget being announced,... Read More
Farm groups in Alberta are applauding the provincial government's effort to advance oil pipelines, thereby taking pressure off the rail freight system. "Team Alberta" sent a letter to Premier Rachel Notley this week expressing support for the Trans Mountain pipeline and other crude oil pipelines. The Trans Mountain line was approved by the federal government... Read More
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is building support for its vision of Ontario agriculture and food and it's banking on a new partnership with other key stakeholders to make politicians take notice. With a provincial election campaign just over three months away, OFA travelled to Queen’s Park last week to ask politicians to spread... Read More
As if NAFTA negotiations weren't complicated enough with trying to figure out what the U.S. administration wants, Mexico's looming election is adding another layer of political uncertainty. The political threat to a successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement is particularly concerning for trade-dependent industries like agriculture, as highlighted by two of the... Read More
Farmers and ranchers across Canada and the United States identify with a hard day's work, family, and a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You would have to drive many dirt roads before you found a farmer in either country identifying with "the elites." In the Right Honourable Stephen Harper's recent... Read More
Scott Moe has replaced Brad Wall as the leader of the Saskatchewan Party, becoming the Premier-designate of Saskatchewan. Moe received 8,075 votes or 53.7 percent of the total votes cast, surpassing runner-up and former deputy ag minister Alanna Koch by 1,161 votes, in the fifth and final round of voting at the party's leadership convention... Read More
Round 6 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks are about to begin in Montreal, and interested parties will be gauging the mood of the discussions closely. Over the weekend, there were several articles on the grumpiness of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on the topic of the Canadian negotiation strategy at the... Read More
The Liberal government's minimum wage hike will cost Ontario fruit and vegetable growers $297 million over the next two years. The impact on the industry was calculated by professional consultants and presented to all levels of the provincial government, but Premier Kathleen Wynne, Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and senior bureaucrats chose not to listen,... Read More
The Ontario Liberal government has had its share of challenges in 2017. For starters, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s approval rating sunk to the low teens as Ontarians continued to gnash their teeth in response to the government’s hydro power plan. And then there was the government’s plan to increase the provincial minimum wage to $15 by... Read More