Wheat Growers Call On Ottawa To Drop The Carbon Tax Increase

Mar 27, 2020

Farmers are calling for more action from the Federal Government given the ongoing and future impact that we could see with COVID-19.

Ottawa increased the lending capacity for Farm Credit Canada this week in an effort to help farmers.

Darryl Fransoo, a director with the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, says it’s absolutely imperative that we keep trucks, trains, and boats rolling.

“I’d like to see something done on that front. Obviously, our inland terminals, our ports are very important. So a little news on how we can keep that rolling I think would be way more beneficial than any handouts they could deliver to farmers right now.”

The Wheat Growers also want to see Ottawa drop its plan to increase the carbon tax as of April 1st.

Fransoo says the Federal Government is looking at increasing the carbon tax from $20 to $30 a tonne noting it’s already a tax that hurts farmers' bottom line, as well as consumers at the grocery store.

“It's going to happen where they're going to raise the tax by 50%. That's detrimental. You know right now with the Canadian economy facing the challenges that we are. We’re really calling on the federal government, to at least not bump it up. A tax increase is foolish right now.

Fransoo says with the economic crisis we are in he would like to see Ottawa eliminate the Carbon Tax.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.