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Climate change worries Canadian farmers: poll

Data shows east-west split over climate, cost and government concerns

Reading Time: 3 minutes A poll released Dec. 11 suggests that Canadian farmers worry more about the impacts of climate change than they do about input costs and market prices for canola, corn, wheat and cattle.

Federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers met in Whitehorse, Yukon from July 17 to 19. Photo: Supplied

Ag ministers discuss BRM changes 

Reading Time: < 1 minute Canada’s agriculture ministers wrapped up their annual meeting in Whitehorse Friday saying they continue to look at changes to business risk management programs to make them more responsive.


File photo of a desk in Canada’s Senate. (Dougall_Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

Biosecurity bill draws questions from Senate ag committee

Some senators said the bill should cover everyone who enters a livestock operation because anyone can pose a biosecurity threat

Reading Time: 4 minutes Senate scrutiny has begun on Bill C-275, the private member's bill to amend the Health of Animals Act, which would increase fines for those who unlawfully enter livestock barns and processing facilities.

Parliament Hill, in Ottawa – Ontario, Canada. Photo: Ulysse Pixel

Farm groups criticize capital gains inclusion rate change

Ten national organizations say several tax-related changes in the 2024 federal budget will impact farmers 

Reading Time: 3 minutes In a May 27 letter to finance minister Chrystia Freeland, agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay and national revenue minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, 10 signatories said they are concerned about the capital gains inclusion rate, the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and the Canadian Entrepreneurs’ Incentive (CEI), which were all announced in April.


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Federal budget draws mixed reaction from Canadian ag groups

Livestock tax deferral, capital gains exemption praised; overall lack of investment in agriculture noted

Reading Time: 3 minutes The 2024 federal budget, released Tuesday afternoon has drawn mixed reactions from ag groups across Canada. While some have praised aspects of the plan, others have condemned the lack of attention paid to agriculture and farmers.   

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Organic group send petition to federal government

Feds asked to establish policies and programs to help organic producers meet consumer demand, create sustainable food systems

Reading Time: 2 minutes The petition says that Canadian consumers are driving strong demand for organic food, and asks the federal government to establish policies and programs to “encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic to meet the market opportunity,” and to “meaningfully recognize and incentivize sustainable resilient food systems, such as organic, across all departments that relate to Canadian food policy.”



Parliament Hill, in Ottawa – Ontario, Canada. Photo: Ulysse Pixel

Carbon exemption amendments costly to farmers: PBO

Financial analysis finds carbon tax relief will be significantly lower after changes

Reading Time: < 1 minute Amendments to Bill C-234 will cost Canadian farmers nearly $90 million a year, according to a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released February 13.


Parliament Hill, in Ottawa – Ontario, Canada. Photo: Ulysse Pixel

Motion to squash Bill C-234 amendments put to MPs 

Pass the bill as-is now, or risk passing nothing at all says Bloc 

Reading Time: 2 minutes Bill C-234, which would amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Price Act, was once again the subject of debate as Parliament resumed today. Conservative MP Ben Lobb tabled a motion to essentially reject the Senate’s amendments to the bill.

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Farmers demand incentives for environmental changes

A final strategy was to be released in late 2023 but feds now say it will be sometime this year

Reading Time: 2 minutes A federal environmental strategy for the agriculture sector should be viewed through an economic lens, says a report from consultations on the proposed Sustainable Agriculture Strategy.