Fruit and vegetable producers optimistic as Bill C-280 moves to second reading

Dec 05, 2023

A bill that will provide fresh produce sellers in Canada with financial protection in case of buyer bankruptcy has moved to second reading in the Senate.

Bill C-280, the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act was adopted by the House of Commons on Oct. 25, with its first reading in the Senate the next day.

Presented to the House with no amendments, the private member’s bill sponsored by York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson was passed with one vote against by Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff.

Why it matters: The bill offers financial protection to fresh produce sellers similar to that offered to
counterparts in the U.S.

Bill C-280’s deemed trust emulates the United States Perishable Agricultural Marketing Act’s Trust in providing fresh produce sellers in Canada a way to secure payment in case of buyer bankruptcy with no additional burden on the government.

Ottawa-based Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) is a member-based, non-governmental organization that addresses dispute resolution and provides default contract rules and licensing. Bill C280 would secure the final piece of the puzzle, a trust system to back the complaint and force payment.

Fred Webber, retired DCR president and CEO, said the U.S. system was implemented for food security reasons.

“When somebody in the world has a product to sell, the United States is a market of first choice because it is the safest place to sell,” Webber told Farmtario in an earlier interview. “We need to erase any fear there is of people selling to Canada.

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Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.