In advance of the federal Speech from the Throne, which will be delivered later this week, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) has released its own “Speech from the Combine,” a video asking for government support for Canada’s grain industry in order to drive the post pandemic recovery.
The seven-minute video outlines six priority areas that require immediate attention in order to position the agriculture industry for success, said GGC Chair Jeff Nielsen – who voiced the Speech from the Combine from his farm in Olds, Alberta. “At GGC we have long been advocating for these changes directly to the federal government, but now they are more important than ever,” he explained. “As Canada begins its economic recovery period, the agriculture sector faces its own challenges including the need for regulatory modernization, market access issues and a lack of reliable business risk management programs.”
The six requests of the federal government are, as follows: provide effective Business Risk Management programs; support science and innovation in agriculture; support crop health; help improve trade access; provide carbon tax exemptions; and improve cellular service and connectivity in rural areas.
“Through our Speech from the Combine, we have provided the government with clear and specific directives for what needs to be done,” Nielsen added. “As the government develops a plan for economic recovery we wanted to ensure that Canada’s agriculture sector is central to that plan, so we can all work together for everyone’s benefit.”
The full video is available
here.