Glacier FarmMedia – Ron Davidson was outraged when he read Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mandate letter to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. The prime minister had issued a series of mandate letters on Dec. 13 that serve as the marching orders for the ministers in his newly elected government. Bibeau’s letter told her to “develop additional […] Read more
Tag Archives politics — page 21
Soybean growers feel abandoned by Ottawa
Sector accuses the federal government of focusing on canola, beef and pork while turning a blind eye to soybeans
Dairy farmers look forward to CUSMA compensation
Federal agriculture minister says the funds will come, but no timeline has been set
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau again committed to offering compensation to dairy farmers as a result of the CUSMA (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) deal. She told an audience at the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) annual policy conference in Ottawa Feb. 4-6, that supply management is a “social contract” that needs protecting. Why it matters: Dairy […] Read more
Federal seed royalty consultations remain in limbo
The federal government is looking at economic implications
Glacier FarmMedia – The future of seed royalty fees remains unclear, as does the future of Ottawa’s consultations, which were cut short last year. A federal consultation on the issue was sidelined when the Liberal government turned its attention to the 2019 federal election. Why it matters: The issue of how royalties will be charged […] Read more
Ontario farm groups write to PM over rail protests
The movement of many commodities is slowed or halted due to rail service shutdown
Ontario soybean container shipments have ground to a halt, ethanol plants have stopped receiving corn as ethanol movement is hindered and the vast amount of pork that is exported has stopped moving because of the current halt in eastern Canadian rail service. Ontario farm organizations have written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting help to […] Read more
Global export taxes affecting soybean markets
Export taxes are a significant part of Argentinian government spending
The United States Department of Agriculture and the department’s attaché in Buenos Aires differ widely on predictions for Argentina’s 2019-20 soybean ending stocks. Why it matters: Argentina is a significant soybean producer so its ending stocks could have implications for prices on international markets. Although dry conditions have continued to be a concern, especially in […] Read more
Opinion: Minister buying time on business risk programs
Federal deficit and provincial agreement are barriers to change
The federal government is buying time when it comes to making drastic improvements to AgriStability and other business risk management (BRM) programs. Federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau recently announced minor, cost-free tweaks to AgriStability, during the same week the public was given an updated look at Canada’s fiscal situation. The recent fiscal update shows […] Read more
Manitoba gathering data to press case for exempting grain drying from federal carbon tax
The Manitoba government is gathering data to make the case for exempting grain drying fuels from the federal government’s carbon tax. “So we’ll get the numbers together and then to (federal agriculture) Minister (Marie-Claude) Bibeau and we’ll continue to lobby on behalf of our ag producers,” Manitoba’s Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pederson said […] Read more
Farm business optimism continues to be low
Business group calls on federal and provincial minister to address barriers to farm financial health
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) found in its latest monthly Agriculture Business Barometer that optimism in the agriculture sector is being weighed down by recent trade disputes, difficult harvest conditions in many parts of the country and costly carbon taxes. In fact, CFIB’s agriculture index finished the month of November at 51.1 – […] Read more
Throne speech kicks off Parliament with nod to agriculture
The federal throne speech opening the first session of Canada’s 43rd Parliament further committed the Liberal minority government to combating climate change, supporting natural resource sectors and removing international trade barriers. Including a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the speech, delivered Thursday in Ottawa, showed the government again demonstrating its commitment to a […] Read more
Opinion: Farm angst is about more than a challenging harvest
There is a palpable sense of angst in the agricultural community these days as farmers struggle with the immediate challenge of harvesting fields in weather the seems to keep turning against them. But it’s more than an exhausting harvest. All that talk they’ve been hearing in recent years about unlimited market opportunities has turned out […] Read more
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