Saskatchewan group speaks on a farmer’s right to repair

The president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) spoke to amendments to the Copyright Act before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology yesterday.

Ian Boxall said Bill C-244 is important because it speaks to a producer’s right to repair farm machinery. A key principle in the bill is to allow farmers access to the software and computer programs being used in their equipment.

“Our machinery has become more technically advanced in the last few decades and has made us world leaders in sustainability, growing the most sustainable food, fuel, and fibre. We are 30 years ahead of everyone else,” Boxall added. “This, however, means that we have very high machinery costs, and we need to be able to fix our own machinery so we can control our costs and get back to work.”

Boxall told the committee Saskatchewan has the largest farms, and the shortest growing season in the country which means time is important.