House of Commons Archives | Manitoba Co-operator

Trudeau wants CUSMA deal ratified quickly

By GFM Network News January 21, 2020

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday urged legislators to quickly approve a new continental trade pact but the main opposition party said it wanted to study the deal, indicating the ratification process could drag on. Canada is the only one of the three signatories not to have formally blessed the

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U.S. House passes CUSMA

By GFM Network News, Reuters December 19, 2019

Washington | Reuters — The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday backed a new trade agreement with neighbouring Mexico and Canada in a 385-41 bipartisan vote, sending the NAFTA replacement measure to the Senate for consideration early in 2020. Democrats, who control the House, approved the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (CUSMA) more than a year after

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Central Ontario MP named parliamentary ag secretary

By GFM Network News, Gfm Staff December 18, 2019

A former Belleville, Ont. mayor will now play a backup role to the federal agriculture minister in the House of Commons. Neil Ellis, the Liberal MP for the Bay of Quinte constituency in central Ontario since 2015, was named Thursday as parliamentary secretary for the minister of agriculture and agri-food, Marie-Claude Bibeau. Ellis was a

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Canada could be last to ratify CUSMA deal, Trudeau says

By GFM Network News, Reuters December 17, 2019

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada could be the last of the three North American countries to ratify a new trade deal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday, indicating that his plan to match the U.S. timetable was set to fail. Trudeau’s Liberal government said from the start it wanted to work in tandem with

Crops

Senate approves recreational use of marijuana

By GFM Network News, Reuters June 20, 2018

Toronto | Reuters — Canada’s upper house of Parliament on Tuesday approved a revised bill to legalize recreational marijuana, setting the stage for the country to become the first Group of Seven nation to legalize cannabis. The Senate voted 52-29 in favour of the revised bill from the House of Commons, paving the way for

A CRTC report in 2016 declared broadband internet access an essential service. Are we there yet?

Comment/Feedback, Opinion

Bridging the digital divide is no easy task

Rural residents are still living life in the slow digital lane

By Laura Rance May 22, 2018

Anyone who dares suggest country life moves at a slower pace would be laughed out of the room in most rural communities, especially at this time of year as the spring-planting frenzy kicks into high gear. But there’s one sector of the rural economy and of rural living that few would deny moves at a

Canadian Canola Growers Association CEO Rick White told the House of Commons agriculture committee March 19 in Ottawa it’s time to double the limit on cash advances to $800,000.

News

Request to double cash advance limit to $800,000

Rick White says it will help farmers get through the  grain backlog, but is also justified because farms are  much bigger than when the limit was last raised

By Allan Dawson April 3, 2018

It’s time to up the limit on cash advances. Doubling the limit on cash advances to $800,000 will help western grain farmers struggling with reduced cash flow due to the grain transportation backlog, says Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) CEO Rick White. It’s also justified because the limit hasn’t been increased for 12 years and

Former agriculture minister and Conservative MP Gerry Ritz speaking to the House of Commons agriculture committee’s emergency meeting on the grain transportation backlog in Ottawa March 19.

Comment/Feedback

Rail had it easier when the wheat board existed

According to Gerry Ritz, that’s because the CWB shipped grain in ‘dribs and drabs’

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff April 3, 2018

Former agriculture minister and Conservative MP Gerry Ritz appeared before the House of Commons agriculture committee during an emergency meeting March 19 in Ottawa to discuss the grain transportation backlog in Western Canada. Alistair MacGregor, the NDP MP for Cowichan —Malahat — Langford in British Columbia asked Ritz about the former Canadian Wheat Board’s role

Crops

Recreational marijuana sales in Canada face fresh delays

By GFM Network News February 16, 2018

Ottawa | Reuters — The sale of legalized recreational marijuana in Canada, which has already been pushed back once beyond the planned July start date, is set to be delayed even further, government officials said Thursday. The ruling Liberals are sparring with the upper Senate chamber, where a draft law is currently under review. Critics

News

C-49 Transportation Modernization Act off to Senate

By Allan Dawson November 10, 2017

Bill C-49, the Grain Modernization Act, has passed third reading in the House of Commons and now goes to the Senate for debate. Farmers and grain companies hope if it becomes law the railways will be obliged to sign level-of-service contracts backed by financial penalties. Read more: Mixed reactions from farm groups to Bill C-49

Alberta’s Lakeland to offer ag tech degree

Funds’ net long position edges lower in canola

Prairie cash wheat: Bids track rally in U.S. futures

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