Lobbyist Dave Carey at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon, Man., on Jan. 16, 2024. Photo: Jim Timlick

Share concerns, build relationships with MPs, lobbyist says

Stay informed and hold representatives to account regardless of affiliation, farmers hear

“Meet with your member of Parliament annually. That’s how you inform politicians. That’s where you can gain some real momentum and leverage. It only takes one MP to stand up at caucus and say I visited my constituents and this is the big issue,” said Dave Carey.






Canola

Latest federal economic update light on ag mentions

Biofuel-related tax credit among few interest pieces

Reading Time: 2 minutes While a brief item on right to repair generated opposing views in late November, other ag mentions were light as the federal government unveiled its 2023 Fall Economic Statement Nov. 21. A search of the 141-page document for the term “agriculture” revealed only a handful of results. One of the few sections of interest for […] Read more


The latest repair challenges are a far cry from replacing a broken belt — they centre around proprietary high-tech systems that farmers and independent repair shops say they’re being shut out of.

Ottawa, equipment industry clash over right to repair

Industry representative says federal action is no longer required

Reading Time: 3 minutes A recent federal call to formalize producers’ right to repair their own equipment ignores what manufacturers are already doing to boost farmers’ capacity to do so, according to a leader in the North American equipment arena. On Nov. 21, the federal government argued for an adjustment to the Competition Act that would prevent manufacturers from […] Read more

Photo: daoleduc/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Senate speaker rules members bullied other senators over Bill C-234

Senators threatened retaliation if colleagues didn't "give way", attempted to constrain them in their duties, says speaker

Hot-tempered Conservative senators' actions over lightning rod Bill C-234 constituted intimidation, the Senate speaker ruled yesterday. "Senators have explained how they felt threatened and intimidated in the performance of their duties, here where we should model the best behaviour for our fellow citizens," said speaker Raymonde Gagné in her decision yesterday.


(Photo: Dave Bedard/File)

Canada’s Indo-Pacific ag office takes step forward

The joint CFIA-AAFC venture is part of a plan to diversify exports to the Indo-Pacific region

The federal government took another step yesterday toward establishing its Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (IPAAO) in Manila, Philippines, with the appointment of its first executive director. Federal ag minister Lawrence MacAulay announced that Diedrah Kelly had been appointed to the post. Kelly is a long-time representative of Global Affairs Canada and recently was Canada’s […] Read more

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Ottawa lines up with farmers on right-to-repair

Feds to call for owners to be able to repair their own equipment

The federal government says it’s siding with Canadian farmers on the right-to-repair debate. An announcement this week from the federal government called for an adjustment to the Competition Act that would prevent manufacturers from refusing to provide the means of device and product repair in an “anti-competitive manner.” That declaration came in the government’s 2023 […] Read more