Canadians elect their next government on April 28
With just over three weeks until Canadians head to the polls on April 28, multiple farm groups have released their federal election priorities.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, for example, has identified three areas it wants to see political parties address – competitiveness, rules-based trade, and resiliency.
Included in these categories are steps the organization wants the next government to take within the first 100 days.
These steps include:
- Removing the carbon tax for on-farm fuels for which farmers have no alternative,
- Ensure ag and agri-food is considered a national priority,
- Making the extended interswitching pilot permanent, national and accessible to a distance of 500km, and
- Removing the environment risk assessment required for AgriInvest.
The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) also put out their election platform.
The organization identified five recommendations.
One request is for the next federal government to apply a food lens to key policies to support food security.
“A yearly report on its application should be tabled before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to enhance transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making on agriculture and food-related issues nationwide,” the FVGC says.
Another recommendation is for the government to ensure farmers have access to crop protection tools.
This can be done by incentivizing companies to bring technologies to Canada, and to increase the capacity and output of the Minor Use Pesticide Program, the FVGC suggests.
The Canadian Canola Growers Association provided its election priorities too.
The organization outlined five steps the next government can take to secure the industry’s competitiveness.
One is to invest in rail and port infrastructure to support Canada’s reputation as a canola supplier.
“Disruptions cause backups, hinder sales, and impact farmers’ cash flow, while also damaging Canada’s global reputation. Investing in port infrastructure and supporting competition in our railways through extended interswitching are key to maintaining an efficient, competitive supply chain,” the group says.
The organization also advocates for the next government to use resources and modern regulations to support investment and the adoption of the latest technologies.
Be sure to check Farms.com leading up to election day for coverage of the party platforms and what each party is promising for the Canadian ag sector.