Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay isn’t a familiar face for many Canadians despite being one of this country’s longest serving members of Parliament. A new poll released by the Angus Reid Institute Nov. 20 found only 39 percent of Canadians surveyed knew who MacAulay was. Of that, 25 percent thought he was doing a “good job” […] Read more
Stories by Kelsey Johnson
Negotiating NAFTA and TPP at the same time is complicated
The 11 remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership have agreed to move ahead with work on a trade pact minus the United States after a dramatic 24 hours at the recent Asia Pacific Economic Summit in Vietnam. Getting to this point was dicey. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau missed a leaders’ meeting, infuriating several world […] Read more
Tackling hunger hindered by conflict, environmental disasters
More than half the world’s population will suffer from some form of malnutrition by 2030 if greater action isn’t taken, global leaders are warning. “About one in three persons globally suffers from at least one form of malnutrition, be it hunger, micronutrient deficiencies or overweight and obesity,” Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General José Graziano da […] Read more
Rural Canadians face health issues, food insecurity: report
Canadians living in rural communities are more likely to have poorer health outcomes than their urban counterparts, Canada’s chief public health officer says. In her inaugural report on healthy living released Oct. 26, Dr. Theresa Tam said rural Canadians were more likely to report they were in poor or fair health and tended to have […] Read more
Who do consumers trust? Farmers favoured for reliable info
Canadians may not know where their food is coming from, but they say they still overwhelmingly trust those who are producing it; well, kind of. In a recently released telephone survey conducted last March on behalf of Agriculture Canada, pollsters found 91 percent of respondents say farmers and ranchers are a reliable source of information. […] Read more
When NAFTA talks get tough, Canada must stand strong
The fourth round of renegotiations has been a rough ride for the North American Free Trade Agreement. The United States used its home turf advantage in Arlington, Virginia, to table several proposals that have sparked rebuttals from Canadian and Mexican officials. Included in the proposals: a five-year sunset clause, a 50 percent U.S. content rule […] Read more
NAFTA talks may get testy on auto, wine and dairy sectors
It looks like the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations are about to get testy. The United States is expected to table a number of contentious demands during the fourth round of NAFTA talks, scheduled for Oct. 11-15 in Washington, D.C. Apparently, the Americans aren’t happy with the way talks are progressing so far. “Honestly, […] Read more
Feds continue taking heat over proposed tax changes
It’s been an uncomfortable few weeks for Liberal MPs on Parliament Hill. MPs have been getting an earful from angry small business owners, farmers, doctors, tax experts, opposition MPs and even some provincial premiers about the Liberals’ plan to change how Canadian-controlled private corporations are taxed. Tax policy is a complicated world. It generally flies […] Read more
U.S. silence puts NAFTA negotiations in tough spot
As NAFTA renegotiation talks near the midway point, the United States has yet to table formal proposals on several key agriculture issues — missing details that are raising questions about whether negotiators will be able to wrap up talks by the end of the year. Canadian, American and Mexican trade officials are in the process […] Read more
Trade, taxes and transportation: welcome back to the Hill
MPs expecting a quiet return to Parliament Hill had better hold onto their hats: this fall session is shaping up to be a whirlwind. The circus that is the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations is headed to Ottawa later this week. Negotiators and officials will gather in the nation’s capital for the third round […] Read more
