Senator reflects on a year promoting soil protection and youth leadership
Senator Rob Black was elected Deputy Leader of the Canadian Senators Group in December, a role he will take on when the Senate resumes in 2026.
As 2025 ended, Senator Robert Black reflected on a busy year advocating for agriculture and soil health across Canada.
Black concentrated on sharing the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry’s soil health report, Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human and Social Health, tabled in June 2024, whenever he participated in speaking engagements. “We celebrated the one-year anniversary of the report this June, and it has been well-received by Canadians and parliamentarians coast to coast,” said Black.
Throughout the year, Black met with stakeholders from Victoria, B.C., to Churchill, Manitoba, and the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, discussing soil protection initiatives and the report’s recommendations. “There is exceptional work being done across research, agronomy, and farms. It was inspiring to hear about these contributions to soil health and agriculture,” he said.
In support of the report, Black introduced Bill S-230, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy for soil health protection, conservation and enhancement, on June 10, 2025. The bill passed second reading in November, and Black looks forward to further study by the Senate committee in 2026.
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