Kelsey Johnson

When rancher Brad Osadczuk told the House of Commons agriculture committee Nov. 22 he was spending $92,000 a month to feed a third of his quarantined, soon to be culled, cattle herd, you could have heard a pin drop. That’s not chump change. It’s more than half the salary most backbencher MPs on the agriculture […] Read more

Parliament has started debate on legislation that would implement the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, a multibillion-dollar trade deal between Canada and the European Union. The debate started Nov. 21 and comes as Ottawa continues to grapple with Canada’s trade future in a post-Brexit, pending-Trump world. Given the current Liberal majority and Conservative support for trade, […] Read more

President-elect Donald Trump. It’s safe to say few folks in Ottawa expected to hear those four words Nov. 8 as they gathered in pubs and bars across the city to watch the results of the United States election roll in. Ottawa is a town obsessed with politics. For many here, election night is like Game […] Read more

Ottawa has unveiled its vision for Canada’s grain transportation system and so far farm groups seem happy about it. But it doesn’t mean Ottawa can wipe grain transportation from its list of policy issues just yet. Transport Minister Marc Garneau outlined his Transport 2030 plan in a speech in Montreal Nov. 3. It was a […] Read more

The federal government isn’t losing any time in its efforts to ratify the newly signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Europe. International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the necessary legislation in the House of Commons Oct. 31, one day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the multibillion-dollar trade deal on a last minute trip […] Read more

The federal government has unveiled its strategy designed to mitigate Canada’s burgeoning obesity problem. In a speech in Montreal Oct. 24, Health Minster Jane Philpott said the country’s food labels and its beleaguered food guide are under review. “The classic one-size-fits all guide no longer meets the needs of Canadians,” Philpott said, insisting the new […] Read more

Canadian farmers know how much they contribute to the national economy. Walk into any farm meeting or conference these days and the sector’s economic prowess is almost guaranteed to be mentioned. Farmers feed cities. Agriculture and agri-food feed government coffers. It’s a message that hasn’t escaped one of the Liberal government’s chief financial advisers. In […] Read more

Canada’s food processing industry is set to hit a record $4.3 billion in pre-tax profits in 2016, the Conference Board of Canada report says. The strong profit growth is the result of an improved American economy, where Canadian processors send 70 percent of their goods. The local food movement has also helped with strong interest […] Read more

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall isn’t the only conservative-leaning politician expressing dissent to a federal government national carbon pricing plan. Opposition to a federal carbon tax is front and centre in Ottawa, where Conservative party MPs are using question period to establish their opposition to any form of carbon pricing. “Job-killing carbon tax” and “carbon tax […] Read more

They’re back. MPs returned to Parliament from their summer recess to a political agenda jam packed with committee meetings, policy points and a to-do list several miles long. The Conservative leadership race is well underway, with the latest developments triggering a shuffle in the official opposition’s front benches. Former House speaker turned Conservative House leader […] Read more