Migrant farm workers will be able to apply for permanent residency through a new federal program, but critics say the Liberal’s plan is flawed. Essential temporary foreign workers and international grads from Canadian schools will be able to apply for one of the 90,000 new permanent residencies. There are 30,000 spots dedicated to temporary workers
Feds’ pathway to permanent residency program under fire
Advocacy groups say the programs have too many arbitrary barriers for farm workers
Comment: NDP will need to do more to win favour in rural ridings
After attending enough political conventions, they all start blurring together a bit. Some memories stand out, though. One is being at a Saskatchewan NDP convention in Saskatoon (2016, I think) and seeing a rural member talking about agricultural policy. In the member’s mind, there wasn’t much of any agricultural policy in the Saskatchewan NDP’s playbook
Space and agriculture meet on social media
Reddit ‘ask-me-anything’ event with Canadian officials attracts interest, bizarre queries
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) partnered with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to do an “Ask Me Anything” event on social media. On May 5, officials from both agencies took to the popular social media site Reddit to answer questions from the public about “how space helps agriculture.” Nearly 200 people directly engaged in the discussion. Some of
MPs recommend more money, less red tape for food processing
Eighteen key recommendations come in committee’s report on the sector
A federal agricultural committee report is recommending more investment and less regulation to spur the Canadian processing sector. Between November 2020 and February 2021, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food studied measures to increase Canada’s processing capacity, hearing from dozens of witnesses. The result is 18 recommendations largely focusing on financial investments and policy
Opinion: U.S., Canada have same challenge in selling green policies to producers
Farmers aren’t typically core constituents of Liberals or Democrats
President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are fighting the same fight in trying to get farmers on board with ambitious climate plans. Industry groups and associations in both countries will say already efforts are being made to reduce emissions, but critics say otherwise. The U.S. administration’s new, unprecedented dedication to fighting climate change
Federal NDP introduces soil health bill
Proposal calls for a National Soil Health Advocate
The federal New Democrats propose to set up a plan they say could help build up Canadian agriculture from the ground down. The NDP’s agriculture critic, British Columbia MP Alistair MacGregor, on Monday introduced a private member’s bill in the Commons to create a national soil health strategy for Canada. The strategy as proposed in
CETA working as intended, federal government says
Meanwhile exporters continue to express concerns over its implementation
Canada’s international trade minister said the country’s free trade deal with the European Union is working as intended. Mary Ng, Canada’s minister of small business, export promotion and international trade, made the comments in a joint statement with the European Commission. European officials met virtually with Ng on March 25 to discuss progress of implementing the Comprehensive
Opinion: Scott Moe’s carbon credit stance unsalable
Emitters won’t recognize — or pay for — carbon sequestered decades ago
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe continuing to believe farmers should be credited for decades-old actions demonstrates his overall reluctance to recognize the significance of climate change. Beaten by the Supreme Court of Canada, Moe is now in the unenviable position of having to develop and introduce a carbon pricing policy. Most of his constituents don’t want
Feds consult on future of U.K. trade
The U.K. continuity deal, a planned bilateral trade agreement and the U.K.’s entry into CPTPP are all on the agenda
The federal government wants to know what Canadians think of the United Kingdom joining its Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). At the same time, it is also seeking opinions on entering a possible bilateral deal with the former European Union country. Canada’s trade with the U.K. is currently governed by the Canada-U.K. Trade Continuity Agreement
CAFTA calls for implementation officer
Canada’s chief trade negotiator says the position would create duplication and overlap
Canadian Agri-Food Trade Exporters (CAFTA) is calling for a trade implementation position within Global Affairs, but the country’s chief negotiator is already spilling cold water on the idea. In its list of priorities and policies for 2021, CAFTA says the creation of such a position is needed in Global Affairs Canada to monitor and facilitate engagement with
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
