Reading Time: 3 minutes Industry leaders and organizations are welcoming the July 26 announcement that veteran MP Lawrence McAulay will be taking over the post of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food–and wasting no time calling him to action. It is the P.E.I. MP’s second time in the role, having previously held it between 2015 and 2019. MacAulay took over […] Read more
Ag leaders welcome MacAulay’s appointment as AAFC Minister
The minister’s new role was part of the Liberal government’s recent cabinet shuffle
Feds lift ‘pause’ on increases in crop chemical MRLs
New set of rules also calls for 'cosmetic' pesticide use to be banned on federal lands
Reading Time: 6 minutes Proposals to increase a crop chemical’s maximum residue limits (MRLs) on foods and food crops in Canada can again seek federal approval, after being put on temporary hold two years ago. Among several other changes, a planned new package of federal regulatory amendments will put a gradual end to a “pause” imposed in August 2021 […] Read more
Gene-edited crops clear CFIA’s regulatory bar
Agency guidance puts gene editing on level of conventional breeding
Reading Time: 4 minutes Plants gene-edited for efficient use of water or nutrients or to better withstand pests or drought now won’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles in Canada as any crops that are modified for herbicide tolerance or include foreign genes. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced updated guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection […] Read more
Federal report shows farmer concerns remain regarding emissions targets
AAFC report polled farmers, industry for thoughts on fertilizer emissions policy
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) report shows farmers remain concerned about federal emissions reduction targets — and whether those targets remain voluntary. The “What We Heard” Report, released Wednesday, is the result of consultations between AAFC and the agricultural sector to gather feedback on how best to support farmers and producers to achieve […] Read more
AWC 2023: Federal ag minister inspired by farm women’s progress
Don't wait to be asked to participate, Bibeau tells AWC West
Reading Time: < 1 minute Calgary — Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau drew applause from delegates attending the Advancing Women in Agriculture (AWC) conference here this week as she acknowledged their efforts for paving her path into politics. Bibeau told delegates attending the 10th annual conference she’s never felt like she’s had to fight for spot at the political table […] Read more
Direct compensation for fertilizer tariffs not on table
Eastern farm groups call for help ahead of fall seeding
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers in Eastern Canada who rely on imports of Russian-made fertilizers aren’t going to see direct compensation for the federal government’s general tariff on those products. A clutch of farmer and ag industry groups on July 15 put forward a new request to Ottawa for compensation to farmers “negatively impacted” by a 35 per cent […] Read more
Ag ministers lock in next policy funding framework
AgriStability compensation rate to rise; new EGS program planned; some agmins decry feds' approach on fertilizer emission cuts
Reading Time: 4 minutes The new federal-provincial ag policy funding framework due to take effect next April 1 will include a new ecological goods and services plan and a sweetened compensation rate for AgriStability. Following meetings this week in Saskatoon, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and her provincial and territorial counterparts on Friday mapped out the bones of their […] Read more
Feds boost Living Labs’ reach to all provinces
Nine projects, including first-Indigenous led lab, share $54M
Reading Time: 3 minutes The first crop of federally-funded “Living Labs” backed by the Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) program, set up to prove carbon-sequestering on-farm processes, takes the concept to the six provinces where such farm-level labs weren’t yet in place. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, speaking Thursday in Calgary, announced $54 million from the $185 million, 10-year ACS program […] Read more
New chair named for Canadian Dairy Commission
Appointment still leaves board shorthanded
Reading Time: 2 minutes Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has hired from within the Canadian Dairy Commission to get it a new chairperson. Bibeau on Tuesday announced Quebec dairy farmer Jennifer Hayes as the CDC’s new chair for a four-year term starting Dec. 23, 2021. Hayes, who had served as commissioner on the CDC’s three-person board since January 2017, […] Read more
AgriCommunication plan to seek farmer-consumer dialogue
Ag exhibitions among expected beneficiaries
Reading Time: 3 minutes The federal government has put up new funding toward improving consumers’ awareness of the “strengths” of Canada’s ag sector — and to improve farmer awareness of what those consumers want and expect. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Thursday announced an $8 million, three-year funding envelope for the first of two streams of what’s now called […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
