Canadians are weeks away from choosing their next federal government and Glacier FarmMedia wants to know what farmers want to see on the electoral agenda.
An online survey went out March 26, posted to the websites of the Western Producer, Manitoba Co-operator, Grainews, Alberta Farmer Express and Farmtario.
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Producers were asked which issues they’d like to see candidates to address and what questions they would ask political leaders.
WHY IT MATTERS
Farmers head to the polls for Canada’s 2025 federal election on April 28, with trade being a top pre-election concern identified among Canadian farm groups.
Follow all our Federal Election 2025 coverage here
As of April 7, the Western Producer had recieved 33 responses, largely from Alberta.
Many of those expressed worry about carbon pricing, the consumer portion of which was rolled back in April. Government spending and debt were also tagged as issues farmers would like politicians to address, with 17 survey takers expressing concern. A further 14 respondants pointed to trade and tariff issues.
Other main issues included capital gains tax rules (earlier this spring, the current governement announced they were backing away from their previous capital gains tax hike, which had proven unpopular with farmers), AgriStability and general support for agriculture. A few were concerned about the threat of annexation of Canada by the United States, supply management, and broadband connectivity and infrastructure. Farm labour was noted as a concern by aseveral people.
When asked about the most pressing issue facing Canadian farmers, those same respondants noted government spending and the political landscape as concerns. Many farmers asked what the government could do to help Canadian farmers, especially Western Canadian farmers. Western survey takers indicated they felt ignored and taken for granted by the federal government. Government spending, government debt, government red-tape and government overreach were all noted. One person pointed to a lack of production capability and infrastructure required to enhance and support Canadian markets.
Other pressing issues included the cost of fertilizers, the cost of fuel, the cost of machinery and the rising cost of land.
One survey taker emphasized the importance of technology and innovation and asked about solutions to move people off of fossil fuels. Another said the most pressing issue was the lack of affordability for young farmers, while another said it was important to protect supply management.
When asked for questions for politicians, one farmer wanted to ask about reducing government spending and civil service employees. Another wanted to ask about the tariffs against Canada and supply chain disruptions affecting fertilizer and equipment. They further wanted to know what long-term strategies the government would develop to ensure Canadian farmers can remain competitive, and food secure.
Another farmer wanted to ask Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre how he plans to address U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. tariffs, and how Canada was going to find markets for Canadian goods, oil, gas, grain, meat and cars etc. “Canada cannot live by producing only for our small market. We must have a plan to reduce spending and increase sales,” they wrote.
One farmer wanted to ask each political leader what voting for them would mean for the benefit of agriculture in Western Canada, while another wanted to ask Liberal leader Mark Carney about his career change from businessman to politician, while another suggested more civility between Conservatives and the Liberals and urged politicians to show that they cared about Canada and asked the politicians to make Canada strong.
Surveys will remain open on Glacier FarmMedia websites in the lead up to the election, to have your say, visit the online survey, here.
