The government of Canada has endorsed an ambitious agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This agenda has resulted in setting targets that will be hard to meet unless significant changes are made in the way Canadians undertake various activities. The government has also identified farming activities as a key culprit in greenhouse gas emissions. The […] Read more
Tag Archives carbon tax
Federal official questions MP’s grain drying bill
House committee hears witnesses in study of private member’s bill that would exempt grain drying from carbon tax
The House of Commons agriculture committee was set to conduct clause-by-clause consideration of a private member’s bill to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act on May 11. The committee has been hearing witnesses on C-206, introduced by Conservative MP Philip Lawrence, since early March. The bill intends to provide an exemption for propane and […] Read more
Carbon tax refunded on natural gas, propane
Federal government commits in its budget to returning some of the money collected on those fuels; details expected later
The federal government says it recognizes farmers’ use of natural gas and propane and will return some of the carbon tax paid on those fuels. The April 19 budget, the first since 2019 and the first delivered by finance minister Chrystia Freeland, estimated farmers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario could receive $100 million in […] Read more
Carbon tax returned on natural gas, propane
The federal government says it recognizes farmers’ use of natural gas and propane and will return some of the carbon tax paid on those fuels. The April 19 budget, the first since 2019 and the first delivered by finance minister Chrystia Freeland, estimated farmers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario could receive $100 million in […] Read more
Saskatchewan premier faces challenging decision on carbon
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said farmers should be credited for two decades of carbon sequestration despite the federal government’s apparent intentions to discount it. Having lost at the Supreme Court of Canada, Moe is now in the unenviable position of having to introduce a carbon tax, also known as a pricing policy, of his own. […] Read more
Sask. makes vow on farmers’ carbon
Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe says his government is making every effort to ensure the province’s farmers will be recognized for all the carbon they store. The province is developing offset protocols for the crops and livestock sectors. The plan is to have offsets in place for 2022 so farmers can participate in carbon markets. During […] Read more
Carbon tax ruling disappoints farm groups
Western Canadian farm organizations say last week’s Supreme Court of Canada decision that upheld Ottawa’s right to impose a carbon tax is disappointing. Many supported the efforts of the Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario governments to fight the tax, saying farmers have no way to pass on the extra costs, after the federal government implemented the […] Read more
Alta., Sask. should now develop their own carbon policies
The Supreme Court of Canada has given some provincial governments a chance to exclude farmers in efforts to fight climate change. In a 6-3 split decision on March 25, Canada’s highest court ruled the 2018 law putting a tax on carbon emissions is constitutional because climate change is an existential threat and a matter of […] Read more
No credit for no-till
Saskatchewan grain farmers who use minimal tillage or low-soil disturbance cropping systems learned last week that they could be shut out of the emerging and potentially lucrative market for agricultural offsets. Under a government framework for carbon offsets being proposed by the provincial government, offset protocols will be developed and implemented in Saskatchewan, allowing farmers, […] Read more
MP defends grain drying bill at committee
Creator of the private member’s bill to exempt grain drying costs from the federal carbon tax says ‘nearly every farmer’ supports the bill
A bill offering financial relief from carbon pricing for farmers drying grain recently came before a parliamentary committee. On March 9, MPs sitting on the standing committee on agriculture had a chance to question the bill’s creator, Conservative MP Philip Lawrence. The proposed law reached committee after receiving support from each party outside of the […] Read more
