A federal private member’s bill C-206 to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act has passed second reading. Philip Lawrence (Northumberland-Peterborough South) is the bill’s sponsor. The bill is now in front of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.
At this juncture, Ernie Hardeman, Ontario minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs and Jeff Yurek, minister of the environment, conservation and parks have issued a statement that supports an exemption for qualifying farmers from paying the carbon tax on propane and natural gas.
The statement reads:
“Ontario’s farmers work hard every day to ensure that we have high-quality food in our markets, at our grocery stores and on our kitchen tables. Farmers are doing their part to adopt the most up-to-date farming practices that support the environment and adding another costly burden in the form of a carbon tax is another hit in a year of extreme challenges. Higher fuel costs will make it more expensive to produce food in Ontario and will impact the ability of farmers to heat their barns or dry their crops.
Our province’s food security relies on Ontario farmers being able to grow and produce some of the best food in the world and we will always stand behind policies that reduce burdensome costs for them.
Our government is committed to protecting and improving our environment but that cannot come at the expense of driving up the price of food for Ontario families.
We want to thank the MPs from across the country that have moved this proposed bill past second reading, and we hope to see this bill become law soon.”
Source : OMAFRA