Kelsey Johnson

No one should be surprised that Canada’s federal political leaders failed to mention agriculture in an election debate Sept. 17 meant to focus on the national economy. After all, most rural seats, particularly in Western Canada, are already spoken for. The battlegrounds remain in urban centres: the 905 region in southern Ontario, British Columbia and […] Read more

Seven weeks into the federal election campaign, one political party — the Green Party of Canada — has finally released details about what it plans to do for farmers, if elected. The chances of the Green Party being elected Canada’s next government are slim to none. Still, the party’s release of its full platform Sept. […] Read more

There are turning points in any campaign and they are often unexpected. Take the series of heart-wrenching pictures showing a three-year-old Syrian boy named Alan Kurdi in a red T-shirt and blue shorts lying dead in the sand on a beach in Turkey. His five-year-old brother, Galid, his mother, Reha, and eight other migrants met […] Read more

Three weeks into the 42nd federal election and Canada’s agricultural sector has yet to warrant any significant mention on the campaign trail. Some in Ottawa tried to change that trend Aug. 26, thanks to an agriculture specific panel discussion organized by the Hill Times and Canada’s supply managed sectors. On the panel were Canadian Federation […] Read more

It’s no secret there have been tensions between members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery and many of the political figures they cover. More than a few fundraising emails the Conservatives have sent out have accused the “left-wing media” of slanting their coverage in favour of one party or another. Some in the party have gone […] Read more

For two hours Aug. 6, Canada’s political leaders vied for Canadians’ votes, debating the economy, energy and environment, democratic reform and foreign policy. Agriculture wasn’t mentioned. With the economy top of mind, Canada’s political leaders didn’t feel the need to talk about the sector that contributes $106 billion to the Canadian economy per year and […] Read more

The Ottawa federal election rumour mill is in full swing. At the time of writing, the expectation was the 42nd federal election could be called as early as Aug. 2, launching the longest election period in modern Canadian history. Staffers have been told to prepare for the campaign trail. Public funding announcements have been moved […] Read more

In a recent teleconference with reporters, federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz linked ongoing issues with food tampering with “food terrorists.” “It does cost a tremendous amount of money to the processors and the farmers that are caught in this loop — I’ll call them food terrorists — are implementing,” Ritz said during a wrap-up news conference […] Read more

Teachers and education union leaders from around the world are descending on Ottawa this week for the Education International World Congress, a gathering designed to bring pertinent, global education issues to the forefront. The week-long program has discussions planned around noteworthy education issues such as improving the experiences of LGBTQ students, access to education for […] Read more