Policy Areas

Letter: CGC, mandate to protect farmers’ interests, are essential

Over the past several months, Agriculture Canada and the grain companies, in concert with the current senior staff of the CGC, have been re-writing the Canada Grain Act, mostly behind closed doors . Grain company foxes are advising on how to guard the producers’ hen house. Read more

Union Farmer Newsletter: July – August 2019

Inside this issue … Realized Net Farm Income nose-dives — Taken altogether, Canadian farmers’ total take-home pay dropped by nearly half in just one year. Save Our Seed Campaign — Petition update New Animal Welfare Legislation planned for Ontario — In June 2019, the NFU-O submitted the following input to the public consultation towards a Read more

National Food Policy must be seen as a base for further action

The Food Policy for Canada is a first step towards bringing food, farmers and the people of Canada who eat the food we produce, into the forefront of Canada’s agriculture policy priorities Read more

NFU congratulates Manitoba on new GROW Program to enhance environmental action

The GROW Program is a good first step that will help farmers invest in environmental solutions. The NFU in Manitoba is looking forward to participating in the consultations that will develop the details of this program and create a base for expanding and deepening the on-farm environmental enhancement efforts we will need to make a substantial impact. Read more

NFU letter supportive of GROW Program

The Growing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW) Program is a step in the right direction to help Manitoba farmers become a bigger part of the climate solution Read more

NFU-O Submission on Animal Welfare Legislation

We support publicly accountable animal protection that is adequately and publicly funded, and provides inspection and enforcement by properly trained personnel. Read more

Federal Environmental Assessment of drainage project needed

Letter in support of Blackbird Creek Drainage Project designation under CEAA 2012

The NFU sent the following letter to Environment Canada: The National Farmers Union (NFU) supports the designation under subsection 14(2) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012) of the Smith Creek Regional Watershed Association Board’s proposed Blackbird Creek Drainage Project located approximately 50 kilometres east of Yorkton, Saskatchewan and approximately 6 km from Read more

Polluter-pay decision a small but important step

“The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruling that the federal government has the jurisdiction to enact legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions is a small but important step on the journey to sustainability,” said Stewart Wells, NFU 2nd Vice President. Read more

Canada has lost credibility and grain customer trust thanks to deregulation

With the end of the Canadian Wheat Board, grain companies are now in a position to take huge profits out of the Canadian prairies. Both the Harper and Trudeau administrations have played right into their hands by destroying Canada’s international credibility that made customers specify “source: Canadian.” Read more

Farmers’ right to seed is a matter of principle

by Ann Slater Last December the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. This declaration was brought forward by La Via Campesina (LVC) – a global movement which brings together organizations representing small- and medium-scale farmers, peasants, agricultural workers, rural women and indigenous communities. The Read more