Party platforms in terms of agriculture

Aug 06, 2015

Canada votes on October 19th, 2015

In 11 weeks on Monday, October 19^th, Canadians will go to the polls and vote which government they want represented in Ottawa for the next four years.

Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party will look to win another term as Prime Minister while Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party and Tom Mulcair’s New Democratic Party try to form Canada’s next government.

Over the 11-week campaign trail, the candidates will engage in debates about a variety of issues including the economy, health care, tax credits, military spending, and agriculture.

Here’s a brief look at some of the agricultural policies and actions of each party.

Conservative Party (Stephen Harper)

Stephen Harper is currently involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country agreement that could expand Canada’s agricultural trade opportunities worldwide.
He’s implemented Growing Forward 2, a five-year, $3 billion investment into agricultural programs and services
Helped establish a permanent campus for the Northern Farm Training Institute in the Northwest Territories
Under Stephen Harper, the Canadian Wheat Board was sold to foreign investors to open up marketing freedom for farmers

Liberal Party (Justin Trudeau)

Part of Trudeau’s platform includes the “Bees and Farming Resolution: Moratorium on Neonicotinoids in Canada”.

The Liberal party would call for the Pest Management Regulatory Agency to suspend registration of all neonicotinoid-based compounds. The action would put an immediate moratorium on the use and sale of neonic technology in Canada.

The Liberals would make pollinator health a more prominent subject when registering and reviewing pesticides.

New Democratic Party (Tom Mulcair)

Tom Mulcair’s New Democrats would implement a pan-Canadian food strategy called “Everybody Eats” in which they lay out a number of initiatives including investing in rural communities, grow farm incomes, ensure agriculture’s sustainability, ease barriers for new farmers and support agricultural marketing boards.

The first of the leaders’ debates will take place Thursday, August 6^th at 8pm.

Video: Is China Buying US Soybeans + USDA Nov 14th Crop Report could be “Game Changing”

After a week of a U.S./China trade truce, markets/trade is skeptical that we have not seen a signed agreement nor heard much from China or seen any details. There are rumors that China is buying soybean futures & not the physical. Trust in Trump?
12 MMT of U.S. soybean purchases by China by year-end is better than 0 but we all need to give it more time and give it a chance to unfold. China did lower the tariffs on Ag and is buying U.S. wheat and sorghum.
U.S. supreme court could rule against Trumps tariffs, but the Trump administration does have a plan B.
U.S. government shutdown is now the longest in history at 38 days.
But despite a U.S. government shutdown we will be getting a USDA November crop report next Friday and it could be “game changing.” If the USDA provides a bullish surprise with lower U.S. corn and soybean yields and ending stocks that are lower than expected both corn and soybean futures will break out above their ceilings at $4.35/bu and $11.35/bu respectively.
The funds continued their selling in live and feeder cattle futures on continued fears that the Trump administration want to lower U.S. beef prices. The fundamentals have not changed, only market psychology has.
Stocks markets continue to worry about a weak U.S. job market, but you can blame ChatGPT for that. In the future, we will have a more efficient, productive and growing economy with a higher unemployment rate until we have more skilled AI workers.
After 34 new record highs in the S & P 500 and 124 new records in the NASDAQ in 2025 we are back to a correction and investor profit taking as AI valuations may have gotten too stretched near-term ahead of NVDA’s 3rd quarter earnings announcement on Nov. 19th. But this is not an AI bubble.
75% of Tesla shareholders approved a $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk!
It has rained in South America in the last 7 days, but both the American and European models agree that Central Brazil remains dry in the next 14-days!

Food Dialogues series to continue in Minnesota

South Dakota Farm and Ranch Recognition Program deadline approaching