With the federal election just days away, farmers and ranchers had the opportunity to hear directly from political parties about their agricultural policies. With the federal election just days away, farmers and ranchers had the opportunity to hear directly from political parties about their agricultural policies. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture held their National Agriculture Leaders Debate last week. The debate on Thursday featured representatives from the Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Green, and Bloc Québécois parties.
CFA President Keith Currie says, like most Canadians, producers are concerned about what's happening south of the border with the plethora of executive orders that President Trump is putting in motion.
“We did get somewhat of a relief over the tariffs, although there are still some in place. We're still trying to figure out how those are all going to play out. So, you know that certainly is something that we're looking to the next government to try and at least negotiate with the U.S. on, and what that means for Canadian agriculture.”
Currie says with all of the issues facing agriculture today, it's important to hear the party views.
“We're really looking to see where the different parties prioritize agriculture. Of course, our priorities are based around competitiveness, trade-based rules, and resiliencies.”
The debate also focused on supply management, business risk management programs, interprovincial trade barriers, domestic food processing, ways to reduce the debt, and overall, what they see as priorities in agriculture.
Liberal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Cody Blois says this is a crucial moment for Canada.
“We have Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola, on peas, and on pork, and we have instability with our American partners in terms of what this certainty looks like for that market. But we have had some successes. We have walked back Conservative cuts to the business risk management program. We've increased the actual supports under the SCAP the Canadian Agriculture Partnership. We put over a billion dollars of on-farm investment into reducing emissions and driving innovation, and we've been there to stand shoulder to shoulder with our supply-managed farmers and invest in agri-food processing.”
Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Security John Barlow talked about the need for the government to put Canadian farmers first.
“You must have a competitive tax and regulatory regime. You must have access to markets. You must have a reliable supply chain. You must have access to labour. And in my opinion, and I think the opinion of most producers and stakeholders is the current Liberal Government has failed on almost all of these metrics. It is time to put Canadian farmers first. You’ll do that by unleashing Canadian agriculture. By removing these punishing regulations and legislation, by removing the carbon tax on everything for everyone forever. Removing fertilizer tariffs, which are making input costs unimaginable.”
The NDP's Heather Ray says something needs to be done to help make agriculture more sustainable for farmers.
“Over the past 25 years, Canadian farm debt has doubled. Agribusiness corporations now take 95 per cent of all farm revenues, leaving only 5 per cent for farmers to feed their families with. As a result, Canada has lost more than 2/3 of its young farmers since 1991. New Democrats understand that good Canadian food is the heart of our homes, our communities, and our economy. In the face of the climate crisis and the Donald Trump trade war, New Democrats will always stand with farmers.”
The Green Party's Dr. Maria Rodriguez identified trade as being the dominant issue in the election.
“The single biggest customer of Canadian agriculture is not the United States; it's actually Canada. I looked it up. We, the Green Party, think that yes, we need to support efforts to diversify our exports and trade relationships. But the centerpiece of our plan is, and has been for years, around strengthening our domestic market and our internal trade.”
A replay of the CFA’s National Agriculture Leaders Debate, featuring Liberal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Cody Bloys, Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Agri-Food, and Food Security John Barlow, the NDP's Heather Ray, the Green Party's Dr. Maria Rodriguez, and Bloc Québécois representative Yves Perron, can be seen here.