Letters

APF Moves on Climate but Needs to be Broadly Transformative

An Open Letter from the NFU Introduction Two weeks ago, federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture met in Saskatoon and reached an agreement in principle to commit to

Open letter to the European Commission concerning plant variety rights in the Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia

The undersigned organisations demand that the European Commission does not impose on Indonesia any request in the EU-Indonesia Free Trade Agreements to implement the 1991 Act of the International Union

Letter to Ag Ministers – Towards the Next Policy Framework 

At your 2021 conference in Guelph, Agriculture Ministers agreed upon a set of goals, guiding principles and priorities for the Next Policy Framework. There are many good ideas and values expressed in the Guelph Statement, including commitments to climate action, sustainability and resilience, increasing participation of underrepresented, equity-deserving groups, and increasing public trust in our food system. These need to be top priorities, and not sidelined or undermined as a result of pursuing other goals in ways that conflict with the need for a stable and liveable climate, social cohesion and justice. 

NFU asks Minister to rescind Health Canada guidance for Novel Food Regulations

As Minister, you have a duty to protect and inform Canadians regarding matters of health, and you have a duty as a Minister of the Crown to uphold democratic values. A regulatory guidance is an instrument which must remain within the authority of the regulation approved by Cabinet. An interpretation that goes beyond the limits of the regulation itself creates a situation where the bureaucracy is over-reaching its role and usurping the authority of Cabinet. As Minister, we call upon you to prevent your department from taking a course of action that is contrary to our democratic traditions. We therefore urge you to rescind the announced “final guidance for the Novel Food Regulations.”

Canada should reject compromise proposal on TRIPS waiver in its present form: civil society groups

Canadian organizations concerned with vaccine equity and the TRIPS waiver negotiations at the World Trade Organization are urging the Canadian government to not accept a compromise counterproposal negotiated by the

Letter: Budget 2022 – Economic Dignity for Farmers

While global crises multiply and intensify it is clear that we can no longer afford a food and agriculture system designed to maximize the ability of the most powerful to extract value with “just in time” and “lean” approaches while leaving farmers, workers and consumers and our communities to absorb mounting costs and burdens. Budget 2022 is the perfect time to begin building a policy framework that provides the economic dignity and resilience Canadians need to navigate our interdependent future with confidence.

Letter to Minister Bibeau – Urgent Need for Agri-Recovery

Dear Minister Bibeau, RE: Urgent need for Agri-Recovery CC Minister Popham, BC Minister of Agriculture We are writing to you in follow-up to our January 10, 2022 letter to British

Letter to Minister Bibeau re CFIA regulatory guidance for gene edited seed

Our submission raises very serious questions of governance, science, and the duty of the CFIA as public regulator to serve the public interest. We noted that in the process of developing the proposed guidance, the CFIA relied heavily on representatives of CropLife Canada, whose members stand to gain undue control of seed, and financially benefit from deregulation of gene edited products at the expense of farmers and the public good. This conflict of interest is at the heart of our concerns. The CFIA’s approach suggests it equates regulated parties with stakeholders. Regulated parties seek to avoid constraints on their business, while the public has a long-term stake in environmental safety and transparency.

Request for investigation of fertilizer pricing in Canada

On January 12, the NFU sent the following letter asking the Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to launch an investigation into fertilizer prices.

Letter to BC’s Agriculture Minister—Urgent Need for Agri-Recovery

Dear Minister Popham, RE: Urgent need for Agri-Recovery British Columbia’s ranchers are in desperate need of Agri-Recovery funds. On December 15 you urged producers to save receipts while the BC