The Senate agriculture committee says the federal Liberal government should go where it has so far resolutely refused to go by embracing the European model of “multifunctionality” as an expanded way to support farmers.
It would mean a commitment to pay farmers for services they provide beyond food production, including environmental stewardship, conservation and greenhouse gas reductions.
“(The government should) study the application of the concept of multifunctionality to Canadian agriculture,” said the Senate report.
The senators want this report by the end of next April.
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In the past, the federal government has taken a harsh view of multifunctionality, arguing that it is simply a way for the Europeans to subsidize farmers and distort production.
Senators from both government and opposition sides say it is time to reconsider that opposition.
“I think we need to be more creative in the way we support farmers,” Saskatchewan Liberal senator and committee vice-chair Jack Wiebe said in a Dec. 6 interview.
“I think we have some things to learn from the Europeans in this regard.”
The report also recommended that the federal government implement a system of farm policy planning similar to the American farm bill model. Senators noted that American farm legislation comes up for review and rewriting every five to seven years, which becomes an opportunity to examine how existing policies are working.
In contrast, Canadian farm policy is reviewed and written on a piecemeal basis.
