Policy: 2012
2012 Policy Brief Summaries
<strong<emCo-ops: An Exercise in Democracy</em</strong<strong—by Marion Studhalter (age 15), Blyth, Ontario</strongOur modern lifestyles demand more rights and freedom of speech. In Canada specifically, we repeatedly hear about our rights as citizens to have the freedom of speech and the right to make decisions. Democracy is built on the foundation that everybody has the right to represent their idea in government. We tend to call this one “practice of our democratic rights”. The logic that we have a say in how things are handled has been adopted to apply to the basic everyday needs and services of people. Cooperatives exercise democracy. They reflect our rights as individuals and operate similar to democracy found in government systems.
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NFU Ontario Submission on Provincial Policy Statement
Download the PDF version of this submission.
Read MoreBusiness Risk Management Programs under Growing Forward 2
This NFU Brief outlines our analysis of the suite of Business Risk Management programs, also known as agriculture safety net programs, being negotiated under the Growing Forward 2 federal-provincial policy framework, and makes recommendations to make these programs work better for family farmers.
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Ontario NFU Submission to OMAFRA on Proposed Local Food Act
In solidarity with family farmers and peasants across the world, the NFU advocates for a food system built on the priniciples of food sovereignty. Food sovereignty recognizes the central place food has in our lives and the importance of people in their own communities having democratic control over decisions of where food comes from and how it is produced.
Read MoreFarmers, the Food Chain and Agriculture Policies in Canada in Relation to the Right to Food
<strongSubmission of the National Farmers Union of Canada to the Special Rapporteur On The Right To Food, Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Mission </strong<strongto Canada, May 2012*</strong* Note: to view report complete with graphs, please download the PDF version here.The National Farmers Union (NFU) is a voluntary direct-membership, non-partisan national farm organization. Founded in 1969, and with roots going back more than a century, the NFU represents thousands of farm families from coast to coast. The NFU works toward the development of economic and social policies that will maintain small and medium sized family farms as the primary food-producers in Canada.
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Proposed Comprehensive and High‐Level Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan
Family farmers are committed to a food system that provides safe and healthy food to people in this country and abroad. The NFU supports trade in agriculture, as long as it is fair trade – trade which supports the livelihoods of family farmers in Canada and those of our trading partners around the world, and which ensures each country has the capacity to feed itself and to democratically make decisions that support long-term economic, social and ecological sustainability in regard to their respective food systems.
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NFU Response to Proposed Amendments to the Canada Grain Act in regard to the Canadian Grain Commission
The NFU welcomes the opportunity to provide information to Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, in support of his mission to Canada. Our report will focus on the NFU’s perspective on the organization of food chains and its impact on the right to food and on governance of policies and programmes that impact the right to food.
Read MoreResponse to Proposed Amendments to the Canada Grain Act in regard to the Canadian Grain Commission
The National Farmers Union (NFU) welcomes the opportunity to respond to proposed changes to the Canada Grain Act that would affect the Canadian Grain Commission and ultimately grain producers. The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) celebrates its 100th Anniversary this year along with the Canada Grain Act. The CGC has been an extremely important institution for Canada’s grain producers throughout this time period. Its importance remains undiminished at this time and there is no reason to expect that would change in the future, except of course if changes are made which destroy the rationale for its existence. There is a very real danger of this if the changes considered are implemented.
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