When longtime Conservative MP Rona Ambrose was named Canada’s health minister last July, it’s unlikely she was expecting one of her most controversial files to be bee health. Yet, for such a small insect, bees are proving to be a major public relations thorn in Ambrose’s side. For more than a year, environmentalists, scientists and […] Read more
Stories by Kelsey Johnson
MPs head home for summer, but agriculture issues remain hot
The politicians have been sent home to their ridings, their desks in the House of Commons have been cleaned out and preparations are well underway for the summer circuit of barbecues, rodeos and local parades. After endless amounts of speculation and three weeks worth of midnight sittings, MPs bid Ottawa adieu June 20. More than […] Read more
Ontario needs experienced ag minister in sector facing challenges
The campaigning may be over and the votes have been counted, but election chatter is still in full force as Ontario comes to terms with June 12’s surprise result. In a stunning victory, Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals decimated their opponents, winning a majority in an election pollsters had claimed was too close to call. […] Read more
Federal government ignored warnings of grain backlog: NDP
Access to information Documents show federal agriculture and transportation departments forewarned grain movements would be impeded
Opposition MPs were demanding answers to revelations the federal government was warned by the head of Canada’s largest railway that the industry would struggle to get last fall’s record harvest to market. “Mr. Speaker, new documents revealed under Access to Information show the Conservatives ignored the grain transport warnings. They knew before but yet did […] Read moreFundraisers satisfy hungry city folk with food and knowledge
It is my humble opinion that a farmer’s generosity is un-matched. Everyday I witness simple acts of kindness, like a cup of tea at a kitchen table or a lengthy interview where my endless questions are patiently answered. It’s this genuine human spirit that I love the most about Canadian agriculture. Sadly, city folks are […] Read more
Science of numbers often falls victim to rhetoric of politicians
Wandering through the local library the other day, I noticed a familiar sight. To my left, a mother was hunched over her young child’s shoulder, both attempting to work their way through a series of basic math problems. The child, who couldn’t have been older than eight, was clearly frustrated and you could tell Mom’s […] Read more
Ontario election ideal time to put and keep agriculture in spotlight
In the weeks since Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne dropped the writ and called a provincial election for June 12, the former agriculture minister seemed almost reluctant to chat about agriculture issues. Her focus instead was on Ottawa, and how she was the only person competent enough to protect Ontario and challenge prime minister Stephen Harper. […] Read more
Stop pointing fingers and get on with fixing grain handling issues
Growing up, my mother used to tell me, “pointing fingers never helped anyone.” The blame game, she’d say, only makes people angry. As mothers usually are, she was right. In the past eight months, farm groups, shippers, railways and governments have taken turns pointing fingers at each other over the transportation mess in Western Canada. […] Read more
Stalling of plant breeders’ rights bill reflects PMO’s growing power
There’s a question quietly rumbling its way through agriculture groups in Ottawa lately: where, oh where, is Bill C-18? The Agricultural Growth Act, or Bill C-18, hasn’t been seen on the order paper (parliament’s daily agenda) since a brief debate in March. Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz introduced the bill last December. If passed, the bill […] Read more
Fix the Temporary Foreign Workers Program by making it permanent
Here’s a thought: what if the Temporary Foreign Workers Program was no longer temporary? Instead, participants would be allowed to bring their families over with them and settle down. Timelines could be set to ensure workers actually stayed in their sponsored communities. Workers would be expected to stay in their employer’s region for a minimum […] Read more
