Canadian grain officials are confident that a visiting delegation from Japan will be satisfied that Canada’s wheat system does not contain the genetically modified variety found in a roadside ditch in Alberta last summer. Based on the testing and the resources that have been put into the investigation, there is every reason to believe that […] Read more
Tag Archives WP editorial — page 2
TPP-11 ratification must be a priority for House
For Canadian agriculture, the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The agreement is on track to pass through the House by the fall, but we must be mindful of what can happen if MPs lose focus. Bill C-49, which updated transportation rules to address — among other things — how grain is […] Read more
Trump exploits myths around supply management
At the meeting of G7 nations last weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump used bully tactics to get Trump-favorable language in a joint message designed to play well at his core supporters back home. The member nations all reached agreement on the document, but in the end Trump didn’t sign. He launched a written attack on […] Read more
Why can’t Alberta end the squatter’s law?
It’s a chilling thought that land you own, or think you own, can legally be claimed by someone else. Under Alberta’s law of adverse possession, that’s exactly what can happen and it’s exactly why this archaic law should be stricken from the books. Adverse possession is better known as squatter’s rights. It allows a person […] Read more
Roll over, U.S. elephant; the mouse has roared
U.S. President Donald Trump is right: Canadians have exercised our dominance over the Americans on trade for long enough. The mouse has been nipping away at the elephant’s toes for so long that it can barely stand. Animal rights groups are now lamenting the fate of the elephant. As the president noted, we are indeed […] Read more
MPs, senators should use break to reflect on C-49
Maybe it’s a good thing that Parliament is quiet this week. House Liberals and senators will have a chance to re-examine their dispute over Bill C-49. Their actions so far on the omnibus transportation bill that, among other things, addresses grain movement on Canada’s railways, appear to be the product of a power struggle. The […] Read more
Feds must play hardball with Italy on durum
Since January, Cereals Canada has been calling for the Canadian government to formally lodge a complaint to the European Union or the World Trade Organization about Italy’s campaign to undermine Canadian durum. It is time to move on this. It’s not just a matter of fairness. Canada risks gaining a reputation as a country that […] Read more
‘Sound bite’ labels fall short of what’s really needed
Health Canada’s proposals for updating the food guide were always going to stir up debate, but a controversial suggestion to move to front-of-package labelling goes too far. The recommendations say Canadians should pay closer attention to what we eat, following a set of guiding principles. The latter is where the debate becomes harder to digest. […] Read more
Ongoing farm consolidation major land ownership issue
One has to be an optimist to see the report by the Senate agriculture committee on farmland ownership as providing the ultimate solution to the protection of farmland and a decline of the number of farms, but so be it. Optimism it is — if the recommendations are heartily embraced and enacted full throttle. Remembering, […] Read more
Out of Humboldt Broncos tragedy will come hope
Very few of us will make it through life without knowing tragedy. We are never prepared for it, and when it comes, it comes with disbelief and unbearable sadness. Our world stops. And so we watched in shock last Friday as the small city of Humboldt, Sask., coped with the death of 15 people and […] Read more
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