Policy processes

Will Canada’s grain farmers be collateral damage in the rush to pass Bill C-4?

Bill C-4 included a series of omnibus style amendments to the Canada Grain Act that affect the Canadian Grain Commission which were not negotiated in CUSMA and have nothing to do with implementing the trade deal. Read more

Bill C-4 makes unnecessary and harmful amendments to Canada Grain Act

Bill C-4, the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement Implementation Act, amended certain existing laws to bring them into conformity with Canada’s obligations under the CUSMA Agreement. A review of witness statements shows that neither MPs nor witnesses delved into the actual text of Bill C-4, but assumed it was consistent with the CUSMA text. When the National Read more

NFU President Katie Ward speaks to Ag Committee on Business Risk Management programs

(Ottawa) — Today National Farmers Union (NFU) President Katie Ward urged the House of Commons Agriculture and Agri-Food Committee to support changes to Canada’s Business Risk Management Programs that will support a robust food system in Canada that can deliver both production and fair incomes in the face of shocks and disruptions such as the Read more

Unwarranted changes to Canada Grain Act must be removed from CUSMA Implementation Act

(Saskatoon) – Bill C-4, the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) Implementation Act, is being rushed through Parliament so fast that major discrepancies between the Act and the CUSMA agreement have been overlooked by witnesses and Committee members. Bill C-4 amends certain existing laws to bring them into conformity with Canada’s obligations under the trade agreement. However, its amendments to Read more

NFU calls for rebate on fuel used for on-farm grain drying

(Saskatoon) — Today, the National Farmers Union sent a letter to Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, outlining the urgent need for a rebate on pollution pricing fees currently being charged on natural gas and propane used for on-farm grain drying. In line with the Paris Agreement’s goals regarding food security and Read more

Pharmacare Now

In the wake of the federal election, our coalition of national and provincial organizations is calling on the new government to immediately implement universal, public pharmacare. Our large and diverse coalition represents health care providers, non-profit organizations, unions, workers, seniors, patients and academics from across the country. Within a minority Parliament, co-operation is more important Read more

Questions for 2019 Federal Election Candidates

NFU Questions for 2019 Federal Election Candidates - Agriculture and Farming into the Future Read more

Union Farmer Quarterly: Fall 2019

In this issue: Messages from the Editorial Advisory Committee, President Katie Ward, Youth President Stuart Oke; Regional Coordinators It’s a blast from the past! In celebration of the NFU’s 50th Anniversary, we are profiling some of the folks who have held national elected positions over the years, including Ann Slater, NFU Vice President (Policy), 2013 Read more

Union Farmer Newsletter: October – November 2019

Inside this issue … Seed Synergy update: Seed industry groups are preparing to consolidate power in one big organization —  Five of the six Seed Synergy groups are trying to merge into one big group as part of their push to get control of Canada’s seed regulatory system. GM Herbicide-Tolerant Crop Concerns — Bayer is Read more

Who’s in Charge of Agricultural Policy?

While harvest will take top billing in farmers’ minds as we put in the long hours that lie ahead of us, other issues have to be considered. Two of the most important are Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) attack on farmers’ right to freely use our own seed, and AAFC’s seemingly unsupervised rewriting of the Read more