Grain farmers want to make agri-food economic strategy report a reality
This week, grain farmers from across Canada are in Ottawa for the second annual National Grain Week. Grain farmers come to Ottawa in February so that we can meet with legislators and policy-makers before the weather warms up and we get to work preparing for spring planting. Right now, farmers are ready to roll up […]
The weather outside was frightful, but the agriculture industry’s party was oh so delightful
While the rest of Ottawa was hunkering down for a massive blizzard expected to dump 40 cm of snow on the nation’s capital, agriculture industry supporters were treated to a night of great food and networking at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building. Members of Parliament and Senators were in short supply, given neither the […]
The national food policy, not food guide, could be the most important change to the feds’ approach to nutrition
The new Canada Food Guide is a step forward in getting Canadians to eat healthier, experts say, but the Liberal government’s upcoming national food policy could pack more punch in improving the country’s nutritional health. Advocates are hopeful that a national food policy set to be released this year can tackle the issue of food […]
No snow pants allowed: here’s your guide to the hottest winter and spring shindigs
Just so we’re all clear, snow pants are okay for commuting, but they’re not proper party attire. The wintry outerwear has sparked a hot debate among Ottawa residents lately about whether snow pants are in fact needed to wear to work during Ottawa’s bone-chilling winters or too hideous to wear in public. Party Central is […]
Innovation minister, Finance Committee chair, member top most-lobbied MPs of 2018
A committee chair, a minister, and a backbencher were 2018’s top-lobbied MPs, according to a Hill Times analysis that observers said made sense given the Parliamentarians’ close contact with budget planning and the Liberals’ much-touted innovation mandate. Chair of the House Finance Committee Wayne Easter notched 182 mentions in communications reports from registered lobbyists, followed […]
Canada must commit its fair share of climate finance to help the world’s must vulnerable
When I met Agness Mamamba and Imelda Simon in their adjoining fields in Tanzania, they told me of the erratic rainfall affecting their crops. Now middle-aged, these women have been farming since they were children. They have noticed that rains today are coming later and are no longer consistent throughout the season. Instead heavy rains […]
Weed or feed? A Canadian food security issue
In December, the University of Guelph and Dalhousie University released the 9th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report, and while the report paints a generally rosy picture of 2019 food prices, partly due to decreasing meat prices and small increases across most food categories, a sobering statistic from the report was that overall food prices are expected to increase by 1.5 to […]
Cannabis
Colony losses to worsen if feds don’t nix neonics swiftly
We can no longer ignore the harmful effects of pesticide exposure on pollinator health. Last year, beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec suffered record overwinter colony losses: 45.7 per cent in Ontario and 30.3 per cent in Quebec. These colony losses far surpass the 20 per cent threshold beekeepers considered sustainable. Beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec […]
USMCA IP provisions make for uneven playing field for Canadian, U.S. farmers
Farmers in North America generally did well in the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). But there is one nasty surprise buried in the agreement that should unite all Canadian farmers—intellectual property rules that prevent circumvention of digital locks on electronics including sophisticated farm equipment like tractors and combines that will apply to Canadian, but not to […]
